Business Planning | Is it time well spent?

I had a client who was a tyre and exhaust depot who had tyres in every corner of space. I asked him how many and he had over 600. There was no real reason why he had to keep a couple of everything made when he could get them delivered in a couple of hours. His cash flow improved when I pointed this out.

We the consumers should demand less choice. That way when your Christmas tree lights don’t work and you try to buy some bulbs you will not need to discover there are dozens of variations which are essentially the same, but not interchangeable.  To read the full Bob Shepherd LinkedIn article, just click here.  Simple really

Business Planning | Executive summary or just an introduction

Business Planning | Executive summary or just an introduction

What on earth is an ‘Executive Summary’? For some reason the term grates with me. What happened to the word ‘Introduction’?

The trouble is that it has achieved a position of strength in the average business mind such that no business plan or feasibility study or similar document is complete without one. I am not saying it is not needed.  I adopt the Ladybird school of learning where if you are tackling a large project or subject it is invaluable to gain an introductory view and thereby a scope of the topic. That way you can see how much is involved and you can gain an appreciation of the whole thing.  To read the full LinkedIn article, just click here. Simple really.

Business Planning | Building Businesses

Five years ago, after months of consideration I hit on a way to describe what I do in a short introduction at business meetings. Bob Shepherd Associates is good at building businesses. The phrase is positive and constructive and does actually cover the case.

"I’m known as Bob, the Business Builder" as a result.

When I view a business I am looking for all the components to fit together and all fire at the same rate. If they don't, then there is something to work upon. For a new start up business it is more a question of making sure the business has all the components available, but the principle is the same.  To read the full LinkedIn article, just click here. Simple really.

Business Marketing | Corporate Speak, cousins ‘Management Speak’ & ‘Sales Speak’ are alive and well

Corporate Speak and cousins ‘Management Speak’ and ‘Sales Speak’ are alive and well

I am always interested in language usage and there is a case for jargon and short hand speech within an industry and its peers. When that spills out to a wider audience it can be frustrating or amusing depending on your view point. I am not saying language should be always plain although that can be admirable on occasions. There are many cases for using the rich heritage of the English language to create effect, or give slant or emphasis to make a point. An articulate facility with English is useful and valuable as well as enjoyable. However those who trot out the business clichés raise questions about their own understanding of their subject and their own security within their business world. Are they trying to be impressive? Are they sheltering behind familiar club or tribal terms to show they belong? I count myself fortunate to have come across two people in business who unconsciously originated these clichés.


It must begin somewhere and I was amused to see people in their audience making a discreet note with the obvious intention of using those phrases later.  To read the full Bob Shepherd assocaites article, just click here.  Simple really

Business Finance | Paperless Or Just Less Paper?

Business Finance | Paperless Or Just Less Paper?

In the 1980s we were promised a paperless office. I am not the best at technology but I have some of the tools and make an effort. Nevertheless, I have just spent 2 days sorting through some of that stuff that has accumulated. In the old days there was a pile on the end of the desk. ‘That’s interesting, I’ll read that later’ sort of pile. I have a pile like that and I have the equivalent in e-newsletters and emails as well.

When it comes to reading masses of text on screen I hunch up and eventually go to sleep. I need to make notes to keep myself awake and interested. So I still have masses of paper…

My Bank wants me..... To Read the full LinkedIn Article by Bob Shepherd Associates, just click here.  Simple really

Business Planning | The big risky tickets in one basket

Business Planning | The big risky tickets in one basket

Small is sometimes better. Take the railways for example. The government has pinned a lot on HS2 the high speed line that will unzip economic miracles for that foggy bit they are unsure about up the M1 somewhere. £55 billion is big by any standards and I bet it's more by the time we have finished. It'll save a few minutes off journey times apparently.

Return on investment is a subjective interpretation in many ways . That money would be better spent financing smaller rail projects and rail regenerations. There is a stack of evidence that local rail regenerations work, and then some. The Ebbw Vale line to Cardiff is a local example for me. Lately the Midlothian "Borders railway" is a recent one.  To read the full LinkedIn Article by Bob Shepherd, just click here.  Simple really

Business Finance | No System

Business Finance - No System

"46% of small businesses apparently have no idea how much they are owed or how much they owe."

I have met some of them but I have to admit being surprised at how high the figure appears to be.
‘Surely that is basic?’  To read the full LinkedIn article by Bob Shepsherd Associates, just click here.  Simple really.

Business Advice | Anything for a clear desk

"Hey! I am a consultant!".

Don’t do what I do, do what I say! The reason I know about this problem in any detail is business experience – my own experience. Before we had fancy online efficiency modules we used to examine efficiency in the corporate workplace by manual statistics and measurement called ‘Work measurement’.

It was interesting to see what you did actually do all day. One difficulty was recording it consistently; another was the interpretation. For example, the patterns showed that customer flows usually dropped away at certain times of the day on certain days of the week. Therefore, staff were presumably not needed at those times and we would save money by using part time staff and giving others non time related jobs to do at those times. Result? Utter shambles!  To read the full Bob Shepherd Associates LinkedIn article, just click here.  Simple really,

Business Finance | Banks can't do it anymore!

Business Finance | Banks can't do it anymore

There was a time when the sensible way for a respectable business to finance the ups and downs of their developing cash flow requirements was to trip down the bank with their figures and see a friendly Bank Manager who knew them, understood their business and had the discretion to assist them sensibly and proportionately with an overdraft.

There were rules about this. With a long climb up the specialist ladder behind him (mostly a him) he knew how to assess the risk and how to apply the brake when required through monitoring, understanding and sensible appreciation of what the customer was trying to do. To read the full article from Bob Shepherd of Bob Shepherd Associates, click the link.  Simple really

Running A Business | It's Lonely At The Top

Running a business | It's lonely at the top

If you are running a business you need to wear many hats, you need to know everything and you need to know it now.

More than this - in many case you are isolated and alone. It is therefore, important that from time to time you take off all those hats and create some time for you to reflect, some time for you to learn, some time for 'You' to improve. In fact you will get more done, be more directed and more efficient.  To read the full LinkedIn post by Bob Shepherd Associates, click here.  Simple really.

Business Finance | Size doesn't matter

The FSB  (Federation of Small Business) has data that suggests businesses with less than 9 people are less likely to secure main stream finance. As with any data that needs interpretation.

Do Banks prefer larger businesses? In a way, yes.

To read the full LinkedIn post, please click here.

Organic Marketing | Networking South Wales

There are dozens of business networks in South Wales . I help businesses with business strategy and planning (“Business Building”) and I deal with business finance and organisation. Not a shameless plug altogether because my point is that the business planning for growth requires experience and knowledge in networking as a major sub heading under the all embracing term “Marketing”. You need all this in place to get your finance sorted to show you are a functional business ,  by which time you have a plan to put into action, if you have done it properly.

My view is that there is not just one answer to networking. Some networks work best with a business that can be easily pigeon holed by everyone. (Accurately or not – doesn’t matter, you can sort that out later on). Other businesses do not.

So which group is best for you?

To read the full LinkedIn article by Bob Shepherd Associates, please click the link.  Simple really.

Leadership | The thing about business, big or small

Leadership | The thing about business, big or small

Whatever the flavour, size, style or type of  business you have there are some common features - some common characteristics. This is the secret behind how I can contribute to a business. I do not actually need to know the technical and finer points of the business to know what needs some attention, needs a fix or needs some development.

For example all businesses need to communicate with the outside world in an attractive and constructively encouraging way. The methods for doing that may have differences in detail and sophistication and will have a different focus on one channel over another, but still the principle is there.  To read the full LinkedIn post by Bob Shepherd Assocaites, please click here.

Business Running | No Word For 'Entrepreneur'

Business Running | No Word For 'Entrepreneur'

George Bush is famously supposed to have remarked that the trouble with the French is that they have no word for ‘Entrepreneur’. Quite funny but there is another aspect here. Any business needs to have a spirit of enterprise amongst its employees. It has been called Intrapreneurialism.

The best companies invite a spirit of ownership in the doings of their employees which instils a sense of value and helps with staff retention. According to some UK small businesses research.... To read the full LinkedIn post by Bob Shepherd Associates, just click here.

Business Expansion Has To Be Balanced

One of the greatest enemies of business expansion is simply the business balance. It is no good, for example having the orders come flooding in if the company cannot handle the work-flow. Equally the business resources are finite and you cannot have resources waiting for an expected work-flow which doesn't materialise.

Retail is an easy one to judge as we all use shops. Have you ever noticed a shop closing down and thought you knew why? Was it location? Or was the location right but just not for that sort of shop? If the business owner compromises on location because of cost perhaps the results can be disastrous.  To read this article in full on LinkedIn, just click here 

I‘ve got a Business Plan, have you.

I‘ve got a Business Plan, have you?

Give yourself full marks....If it lives in a drawer somewhere, take off 10 points. Take off 20 points for every three months since you looked at it. Take off 10 points if it is less than 3 pages long. Take off 20 points if you used a “business plan template”. Take off 10 points if it is a several generation old photocopied questionnaire type template. Take away 20 points if it did not have a monthly cashflow forecast that you update. Take off 50 points if you did not see the point when you did it. To read the full LinkedIn article, click here:

Time Is The Biggest Resource

Time Is The Biggest Resource

Many small businesses have started up in the last few months. Some born of opportunity and some born of necessity.  If they have been careful the owners have made sufficient headway to show they can maintain their course and develop their business. Planning and forethought is a major key to this.

Resources is the baseline for any progress. Directly or indirectly money is the lowest common denominator here and the business needs money at least to keep the domestic expenses going until the business can take up the load. Then the business itself needs money to get going. There are a hundred and one things to spend out on in the first set up stage.  Click this link to read the full post, on LinkedIn

How To Avoid Alientating People During a Presentation

How To Avoid Alientating People During a Presentation

Do you feel obliged to have a presentation for that little talk?

You need to demonstrate a command of your subject and yourself, but there is more to this than having a comprehensive set of slides.

There will be times, though, when you’re in front of an audience or a group and actually need some other presentation aid. It could be worthwhile using a flip chart or some props. How about standing up and winning them over with strength of personality? Humour is more powerful than statistics.

This post by Bob Shepherd contains some insightful thoughts around achieving a successful presentation. Remember you are taking the audience on a journey. Don't lose them! “Click this link to read the full article, on LinkedIn” 

Who needs a cash forecast?

The Answer should be:  We all do!

Do you use a diary for your appointments and important things to do? Without a diary how would you know where you are meant to be and where you are going? Do you have a Cash Flow Forecast? No?

Well, it’s the same with a Cash Flow Forecast. Done properly and set up as the important planning tool it should be and you will wonder how on earth you managed beforehand. The truth…you didn't!

You will be amazed how useful it will be and how you will feel ahead of your own destiny. The term ‘Cash Flow Forecast’ is one that is trotted out and has lost some meaning. Each word is important.

‘Cash’ – This is not an Accounting exercise. Things like VAT belong in the CFF and the ‘bottom line’ (which is probably where it came from) represents the balance of your bank account.

‘Flow’ – This is not a Budget. that is a sum of money allocated to some purpose and divided by (say) 12 to show what is needed to save up perhaps or allocate in some way. The CFF gives you a flow of funds that reflects all the vagaries of business with seasonal variations and other cash ups and downs that you need to watch, including the quarterly VAT payment for example.

‘Forecast’ – it’s looking ahead. You can enter a planned sum of expenditure on equipment for example at a certain point and see if it works. Get it wrong on paper, it is much less damaging than getting it wrong in reality. The CFF will show you what expenditure is needed to support what level of sales and vice versa.

One last foundation stone: It is not to be left, once done. Re-do, review within 3 or 4 months and you will always have a plan for a year or two ahead. So valuable, you will wonder how you ever thought it was acceptable to do without.

If you think I'm talking sense but need some guidance?  Give me a call or drop me an e-mail, I'll be happy to help.

Bob Shepherd Associates - #BusinessBuilder - #BusinessIdeas

07747758596

mail@bobshepherdassociates.co.uk
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Traditional Marketing With A Hint of Digital Marketing - Make It Easy For Them

Digital Marketing | The digital follow-up to networking

Recently, I have been catching up on my business contacts (do stay on top of this!).  I take a card from the pile that is starting to topple over and I go through the following process....

• I look to see if there are any Social Media icons with the businesses tag present? – Yes/No (7 second have lapsed)
• If no, go to their website: (14 seconds have lapsed)
• Are there any Social Media icons at the top of the page – Yes/ No
• No, scroll down to the footer – Yes/ No
• No, click the contact icon (are they hidden Here) – Yes/ No
• If I still can’t connect with the person (40 Seconds have lapsed). I ask myself “do I need to connect with this person – this is becoming hard work!”

So now, look at your own Business card!  Would someone have the same problem connecting with you?  To read the full LinkedIn article by Bob Shepherd Assocaites, just click here.  Simple really