Mindset

People often tell me they're too busy to do any marketing. They just 'don't have time'. 

Is this really what they're saying?  Do we mean we don't have any time for any marketing or just certain aspects of it? Responding to bookings, sending emails, talking to visitors are all marketing activities but we don't always 'count' them because they're everyday business essentials.

For some people 'marketing' means anything that seems a bit more effortful - posting regularly on social media, writing b…

I'm not very musical but every now and then a song gets stuck in my head. For some reason I've got Bob Marley's words singing in my head: let's get together and feel all right. 

It really does feel like it's time for us all to work together. Tourism can be affected by so many different factors (Floods, Brexit, Coronavirus) which we can't control. We can however make everything feel better.

Community. Collaboration. Kindness. None of them cost anything, yet they have enormous power. Visitors lo…

When I heard the latest Covid announcements I instantly felt exhausted, with a sense of deja-vu. I doubt I'm alone. 

Moments later I happened to be looking through some old notes and blogs and three thoughts occurred to me. 

Celebrate!

We've all had a tough time. Most of us have a long list of things we haven't done or things we've not done as well as we wanted. But if you're reading this, you're alive and you've got through a lot of tricky times. Most of us have a 'to do' list, but not a 'no…

There's a Japanese expression and approach that many Western business leaders have started to use: Kaizen*. I think it's also invaluable for small tourism business, especially those with tiny marketing budgets and no time.

The Kaizen approach is based on the idea that small continuous steps and tweaks build up to more substantial improvements over time.

Kaizen is good news for all of us for three reasons:

1. Small steps are easier, especially when you don't have a lot of time;

2. It costs practicall…

I don't think I remember a time when so many people were so exhausted. Almost everyone I meet or see on screen say they're just so tired, either because of stress, hard work or illness. I had a lot of messages when I wrote this blog about getting over difficult humps. There's clearly something in the air. 

I've been thinking about how we can somehow ease the strain and make life easier.

There's an answer: it's simple.

Or rather simplifying is the answer. 

I've started to simplify all kinds o…

Ever feel like you're wading through treacle? That no matter how upbeat and positive you are, there are always times when everything just feels like hard work. It's easy to become overwhelmed, exhausted and discouraged. Sometimes it feels like progress is painfully slow. 

Some one happened to mention the moon landing the other day, being very specific about the date when it happened. It sparked a thought that might help you too. 

On 19th July 1969 no-one had ever landed on the moon. It just se…

Ever feel some things are just too big to deal with?

You know it’s important but it just feels too big to tackle? Sometimes it’s something like redecorating – you know it needs doing but can’t face all the upheaval. Or you’ve got a new phone and know it’s got all kinds of clever functions but there’s never a good time to learn what to do. Climate change is a whole other level of daunting. What can one person do that’s ever going to make any difference?

Whatever the daunting challenge you’re f…

Are you thinking about putting up your prices?

Charging the right price is part of running a successful business. You’re in it to make money. Yet so many business owners hesitate to charge realistic prices or to increase their prices. Here are a few tips to help you feel more confident. 

Relax. You’re sensible

First things first. You’re sensible. You’re realistic.

So you’re unlikely to massively hike your prices in one fell swoop. The very fact you’re reading this means you like to consider …

You're rubbish!

We all have days when it feels like we're just not living up to our own expectations. That inner voice tells us we're not good enough. 

We think others are doing better than us. We tell ourselves off and put ourselves down:

We're rubbish at social media. We can't do technology. We're not efficient enough, we haven't finished everything.

Others have more fans on social media. They're selling more, taking more bookings. They're more successful than you. 

Really? 

You're a…