Are You Solving the Right Problem?4/9/2026 Why the problem you can see may not be the problem you need to solve. Sales are down. Someone says Marketing needs to generate more leads. Marketing points out that plenty of leads are already being generated. Sales simply isn’t converting enough of them. Sales disagrees. The leads aren’t good enough. Someone suggests sales training. Someone else thinks the website needs attention. There is some discussion about pricing. Competitors are mentioned. So is the economy. Before long, several possible solutions are on the table. There is only one slight problem. Nobody has established what the problem actually is. This happens remarkably easily in business. Something isn’t working as expected. A result disappoints us. A target is missed. A project stalls. A customer behaves differently from the way we hoped. Naturally, we want to do something about it.  Introduction In traditional B2B growth models, a strict boundary exists between commercial attraction and operational delivery. Marketing and sales spend enormous energy building trust, projecting clarity, and promising strategic outcomes. But once the contract is signed, the client is passed over the wall to operations.  The Invisible Middle22/7/2026 Why Standard Sales Funnels Fail Complex B2B Buyer Journeys There is something wonderfully reassuring about a sales funnel. Awareness leads to interest. Interest leads to consideration. Consideration leads to decision. Decision, eventually, leads to action. Neat, measurable, predictable. And very often, not remotely how people actually buy.  In the B2B sector, few things waste capital faster than targeting the wrong prospective clients. Most business owners believe they have a targeting strategy. When asked to define their ideal customer, they offer standard demographic criteria: "We target mid-sized manufacturing firms in the UK with 50 to 200 employees and a revenue of £5m to £20m."  The Endless Wheel of Marketing Overwhelm30/5/2026 You’ve worked tirelessly to build your business. You offer an exceptional service or product, you care deeply about your clients, and you know the value you bring to the table. Yet, when you look at your bottom line or your lead dashboard, something isn't adding up. Your website feels slightly out of alignment. Your social media posts feel scattered, posted more out of obligation than strategy. Your brand identity is "fine," but it isn't pulling its weight. Despite all the effort, desired leads aren't coming, sales conversations feel like uphill battles, and revenue isn't matching your input. For established B2B and technical businesses, marketing often feels like an unpredictable expense rather than a dependable driver of revenue. You invest in a redesigned website, fund targeted digital ad campaigns, push out weekly newsletters, or attempt to leverage social media trends. Yet, despite polite engagement—likes, clicks, and occasional downloads—the commercial needle barely moves. This issue stems from a fundamental disconnect: mistaking surface tactics for commercial strategy.  The Emotional Climate Principle12/3/2026 Why the Environment Around You Shapes Your Business Clarity Entrepreneurs are often told that clarity comes from strategy, planning and execution. Those things matter. But over time I have come to recognise that one of the most powerful influences on clarity is rarely discussed in business literature. It is something far closer to home. The emotional climate surrounding the person doing the thinking.  Recently, I heard a phrase in a podcast featuring Richard Shirreff, former Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe at NATO. It stopped me. “Selection and maintenance of the aim.” It is, at its origin, a military principle. Clear in its intent. Uncompromising in its application. And yet, the more I sat with it, the more I realised: This may be one of the most overlooked disciplines in micro and small business today.  You May Buy the Tools You Need with Time30/1/2026 I first heard this line on Taskmaster — confidently attributed to Shakespeare by Alex Horne and Victoria Coren-Mitchell. It landed immediately. It felt right. Shakespearean, even. As it turns out, it probably isn’t Shakespeare at all. And yet, the idea itself refuses to let go. Because whether the line comes from the Elizabethan stage or a modern comedy panel show, it captures something that many business owners only learn the hard way: the right tools rarely arrive at the beginning. They arrive later — after time has done its work.  Clarity in an Uncertain World: Reflections on Business, Meaning, and Looking Ahead to 202631/12/2025 There comes a point in life — and often in business too — when it becomes impossible to pretend that things always go to plan. Effort doesn’t reliably equal reward. Good intentions don’t guarantee good outcomes. Plans change, bodies tire, confidence wavers, and opportunities don’t always arrive when we expect them to.  |