The Grown-Up Business Blog Helping Business Owners Solve Problems

20 years ago, I thought businesses grew because they had a brilliant product. I was wrong. Businesses don't fail because founders work too little. They fail because they work on the wrong things. Since then, I've worked alongside hundreds of founders, leadership teams, and innovative SMEs, and I've learned something far more important. Businesses rarely […]

Thames Water will run out of money in 6 months. Denby had traded for 217 years and despite flagging this issue and the company went bust 6 weeks later. When will your business run out of money? This is a critical question for start ups developing a disruptive products and services. But as businesses start […]

One of the biggest gripes I consistently hear from businesses is “the banks just won't lend money any more, they are no help at all”! But they are very helpful when they have the facts. You spend hours, days perfecting a 9-slide pitch deck to attract money from equity investors, you have a sales plan […]

- even though you’re working hard! You’re not disorganised. Your business just isn’t clear. Most small business owners I work with say some version of this: “I just need to get more organised.” But when we look a little closer, that’s not actually the problem. They’re not lazy. They’re not lacking discipline. And they’re definitely […]

Companies fall into two camps, they either plan for the calendar year or for the tax year. For those on the calendar cycle, this is the half-time whistle. Time to regroup for a much improved second half. Just watch England’s first round World Cup match to see how 2 halves can be very different. For […]

So we have yet another Prime Minister coming into the job. How would you feel if you were about to see your seventh CEO in ten years? Each one arrives with a slightly—sometimes radically—different view of the organisation. Momentum is lost, confidence drifts, and people start to wait it out rather than lean in. Whether […]

Yesterday I was in my happy place. For the first time in a year, I was playing golf on the Littlestone Links. There's something about being out on that course that completely switches me off from everything else. On the drive home, I found myself wondering why it is my happy place. Then I started […]

Is it any wonder UK business growth remains subdued? Rupert Soames, head of the CBI, recently said politicians have a “shocking lack of understanding of business.” From where I sit, that’s hard to argue with. Because despite the ambition to grow, many businesses are being held back—not by lack of ideas or intent, but by […]

Planning doesn’t start when you sit at your desk. It starts the day before. You’ve heard the phrase, “If you want something done, give it to a busy person.” But it’s not about being busy. It’s about having clarity. Why Busy People Get Things Done The people who consistently deliver aren’t reacting to the day. […]