How to build an online community?

How do you evaluate Christmas TV ads – warm glow or hard sales?

Last week my daughter emailed me with a link and message saying ‘cutest ad ever’.  It was!  It was the Heathrow Airport teddies Christmas ad (click on the link below and you might need a hankie). However, I had just got back from delivering a CIPR

How to get to the top of Google – Jaffa Cakes and Bake Off!

Last night I watched Bake Off and – no doubt, like millions of others – thought, why don’t I make Jaffa Cakes? Are they difficult?

Can you network too much?

Am I doing enough with our existing network – which is both vast and has quality relationships in there? And could constant networking actually damage your business?

Life in Post-Brexit Great Britain

I am excited about life in Britain post-Brexit. But then again, I am an entrepreneur and have long learnt that change brings opportunities – it’s just hard spotting them and knowing which ones to exploit!

What is good design? Yellow, green and white-out are not!

I have got two pet hates in design at the moment – white out (where the font is in white against a coloured background); and the colours of acid yellow and lime green. The colours themselves are favourites of mine – for clothes.  But in my view,

Starting A Business After 50 – Just Do It!

This blog appeared on PRiME, an online magazine for women in their prime and looks at why does anyone start a business? Better yet, why is anyone starting a business after 50? So, I gave myself a treat and interviewed Dorthy Miller, a key driver behind

How are councils making use of social media?

For local authorities, Government departments, councils and metropolitan boroughs, using social media can be a major headache. With hundreds of different departments, a multitude of agendas, a diverse range of stakeholders and events ranging from small

Inside secrets to writing a bestseller

Writing a book is part of many people’s dreams – but few achieve it. Most dream of publishing a novel, but there is a much easier book we can write today and at little cost. It may not make you the fortunes of John Grisham, but it could help your

10 tips for media interviews – don’t forget the microphone is on Prime Minister…

Granted, Yorkshire can be a bit tribal but (as a Yorkshireman) I can say we pride ourselves on being the friendliest people in the world. So, when Prime Minister David Cameron was caught on microphone joking that Yorkshire people “hated each other”,

Nine reasons why your business should be blogging

Blogs have been a recognised marketing tool for a number of years now and I’d argue they are the most powerful way of promoting your business today. They’re also a hugely cost effective way for generating new business and raising awareness of your

Is automation leading to poor customer service?

Good customer service is very subjective. What one person loves, another can hate. I have recently started to feel bombarded with emails from a few companies who, in theory, are just doing a great job of keeping me informed. But they are too chatty and