Category Archives: Performance Measurement

There are many ways to measure the success of a small business. These posts are about the ones that are most practical.

A Small Business is not a little Big Business – Part 1

Back in 1981, John Welsh and Jerry White wrote an article for the Harvard Business Review* using the catchy title above.  For any small business it is worth a read even though it was written so long ago.  The thinking at the time was that small businesses should use the same management principles as big… Read More »

Financial Planning – Not a waste of time

Why financial planning is not a waste of time. People say to me that they cannot predict the financial outcome of their business and therefore spending time doing a budget forecast is a waste of precious time. The forecast never works they say. This is an outdated view. Given the right tools and consistency of… Read More »

Let’s clear up Gross Margin/Profit and Mark-up

I was once talking to a student who was puzzled about Gross Margin – “Is it Gross because its big or is it that it is ugly?” he asked. (Was he joking???). If you are well versed in these terms no need to read further. However, I have come across small businesses that are not… Read More »