Business Tactics : How sustainable is your business?

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Welcome to the Spring edition of Keystone Connections - the newsletter brought to you by Keystone Limited.

Many of our clients have been telling us they are starting to see an upturn
in their business outlook, and have high hopes that 2010 will see a vast
improvement on last year's trading. It's a common perception that
those companies that survive a downturn such as the one that we have
experienced will go on to bigger and better things, but how can they make
sure this happens? This edition is focused around 'sustainable business'.
Having a sustainable model doesn't only mean your green credentials.

It's more about thinking creatively about how you can create a business that is well placed
for future growth - whilst at the same time providing a distinct advantage over your competition.
Highlights of this newsletter include:

Start-up Business Strategies Succession Planning Business Turnaround
Quality Management Sustainability & Responsibility

If any of the issues highlighted in this newsletter affect you and
your business, please get in touch with us and find out how we
can help you thrive whilst your competitors simply try to survive.
It pays to bring in the professionals.

Keystone's experienced Associates are able to help you with many business issues. To enter a draw to win a free half-day consultation with any of the Associates featured in this newsletter, please click here.

Behind every successful business is a team of creative and
inspiring leaders. Keystones Associates are highly experienced
in motivating and developing staff in key areas that can help
your business flourish. Why not speak to us about how we can
help you up-skill your team to deliver on your vision. From
business strategy to marketing strategy - managing budgets
to managing people - we act as an enabler to allow your team
to reach its full potential.

And if you are a North West Business
with between 5 and 999 employees -
then Leadership & Management Training grants are available up to the value of
£7,000! Get in touch to find out more.

Finding and securing the right type of
finance to fund your business growth is
essential. At Keystone we try and make
life easier for you by helping you access
the right type of financing for you and
your business.

Every new business needs money when
starting up. In general, businesses will
need to buy equipment and materials,

set-up an office and market itself to its potential customer base - all before they have even made their first sale. And it doesn't just stop there. Once you are trading, you will still need a positive cash flow to pay bills and keep the business going.

In all business turnaround situations,
there are certain steps that are commonly
taken to change the fortunes of a failing
business. The owner of a less than
successful business may require
professional experts help to redress the
business success and create value for
the organisation. The task of managing
the required change may be beyond the
owner's skill set or too much emotional
sentiment may exist that may preclude
the owner from taking the tough
'business saving decisions'.

Becoming your own boss is an aspiration of many people all over
the world. Whilst it can be one of the greatest feelings in the world,
it can also be one of the most complicated feats in the world to accomplish. As an entrepreneur you have to be money conscious
before starting your new enterprise. The best way to start is with business plans and an open mind for what type of enterprise you
would like to start. Whether it is a new business or an existing one,
this article should be able to give you the right tools to begin.

Succession planning - does your business have the talent to deliver the business plan?

Most small and medium sized businesses
operate from day to day, not really thinking
too far ahead. Most don't have a business plan. Some have a plan but once written,
it's often filed away never to be looked at
again! The plan is a crucial business tool
and should form the start of a process
which more often than not, ends with
the business being sold or passed on
in some way.

Politicians and business leaders
increasingly talk in terms of corporate
social responsibility (CSR) and
sustainability. But what does that mean
in real terms?

Values have shifted over the years, and
now the focus is on quality of life rather
than material wealth. Consumers are
looking for more than price and quality.

They want
to know how, where and
who produced the products they buy.

When was the last time you had a bad experience as a customer and complained about it? Was your complaint resolved to your satisfaction? When your experience as a customer doesn't meet your expectations, it creates a gap between you and the business. You may even decide that you'll never come back.