There is no denying the fact that many businesses are collapsing in Nigeria and indeed all over the world today due to a lack of knowledge of what it takes to save the day. This has even led to serious health conditions, as many businessmen have become hypertensive and their health condition has defied medical solutions. This is because as long as the survival of their business is threatened, their own survival will continue to be threatened as well. That’s why I’m reviewing this book this week as a text solution. I wish you a pleasant reading.
Entitled 101 Survival Tips for Your Business, subtitled Practical Tips to Help Your Business Survive and Thrive, this text is written by Andrew Griffiths, a professional marketing consultant as well as the director of an Australian company called The Marketing Professionals. Griffiths is an accomplished trainer and respectable public speaker. He specializes in problem solving for companies that urgently need professional advice on marketing and customer related issues.
Throughout his career, Griffiths has owned and operated a number of businesses, including a commercial diving operation, a travel company, an outdoor advertising company, and a tourism publication. He has also worked as a dive instructor and commercial diver, door-to-door encyclopedia salesman, gold prospector, international sales manager, and gardener.
According to this author, running a company is difficult and demanding even in the best of times. Griffiths says that the trick to survival is to avoid the common pitfalls that all business operators face on the road. He ensures that the 101 practical survival tips offered in this text will guide you to navigate successfully through these dangers and help your business reach its full potential. This expert says that each of these survival tips is based on his many years of experience and sound advice from successful businesses around the world.
Griffiths advises you to pick and apply a new tip each week or use this book for inspiration and guidance when building a new business. In this book, there are tips to help you build better relationships with your vendors, your staff, and your customers, as well as financial, legal, marketing, and personal survival tips. All of these tips are designed to highlight common problems and give you a clear course of action that will increase your chances of business survival. In terms of structure, this text is segmented into 12 basic sections of 101 tips, plus an additional section containing 20 tips. Section one is called The Future of Small Business.
In Griffiths’ words here, “Small businesses form the backbone of many economies. As the world’s population grows, so does the number of small businesses being started. Millions of people around the world continue to choose for running their own business rather than working for larger organizations. As a result, there is an incredible knowledge and skill base tied to running these small businesses.”
He adds that there is a tremendous amount of experience and expertise thriving in this economic sector, the value of which is often underestimated. Griffiths says that experience has shown him that small businesses generally offer better service levels than their larger counterparts, due, in most cases, to the key personnel involved at the front of the business. However, Griffiths says that the problem most small businesses face is increasing competition from other small businesses, adding that this dilemma is here to stay and even grow.
In section two, called Survival Tips for Getting Advice, containing the first four tips, this accomplished speaker discusses the kind of help available, tells you when to seek help, asks you to embrace technology and save money, and tells you to could be eligible for a grant. According to this author, “Many governments around the world provide incentives for people to run small businesses. These governments realize that small businesses play an important role in their economy…by distributing products and services to the general public.” “. He says that these governments are equally aware that small businesses provide employment for millions of people, and this development makes the economy work well.
Section three of this text is generically labeled Financial Survival Tips and contains tips five through nineteen. Here Griffiths emphasizes the need for you to have enough money to start your business. When it comes to budgeting, he advises you to plan for the worst, not the best, adding that you should keep your personal and business records separate. Griffiths reiterates the need to use a good accountant, keep good records early on, and watch out for the third-year boom and fourth-year bust.
In section four containing tips 20 to 27 and titled Business Relationship Survival Tips, this expert tells you how to avoid the pitfalls of society; how to build a relationship with your suppliers; how to build a relationship with his professional advisers, etc. Section five of this text is based on staff survival tips and contains tips 28 to 37. In this section, Griffiths emphasizes the need to put staff job descriptions in writing and always check references. He emphasizes the need for you and your staff to be properly trained; he leads by example so that your team follows you; communicate effectively with your staff; conduct performance reviews; be aware of security issues and protect your business etc. In section six, based on tips 38-46 and labeled Customer Service Survival Tips, this author says that you need to build rapport with your customers and learn to say No. Griffiths further emphasizes that you need to use a simple market research to follow up, adding that you should continually ask your customers if they are happy. He advises that you keep everything you promise and be honest and upright in all your dealings.
Section seven is based on advertising and marketing survival tips, and tips 47 to 57 are examined. Here, the author says that you need to develop your own marketing philosophy; take a course or read a marketing book; take small steps to market your business; develop a strong corporate image; market your business with a simple plan; never stop marketing just because business is booming etc.
Sections eight through eleven are titled, respectively, Internet Survival Tips; Insurance Survival Tips; Legal Survival Tips; and Personal Survival Tips. These four sections contain tips 58 through 93. In these sections, Griffiths emphasizes the need for you to be realistic about the Internet and make sure you market your website. He says you should budget for the Internet to be an ongoing expense and watch out for spam. Griffiths advises on the type of insurance you should have, adding that you should make sure you meet the requirements of your policy. Griffiths offers you a guide on when to use an attorney and how to choose one. He also offers tips on how you can keep legal costs down. According to this author, when it comes to personal survival tips, you should start your business feeling refreshed and healthy.
Griffiths advises you never give up your hobbies when starting your own business; he asks her to keep up his enthusiasm; and learn to manage stress. Section 12, the last basic section is labeled Planning for the Future, Survival Tips and contains tips 94 to 101. In this section, this author says that he needs to know exactly where he is going and know exactly how he is going to get there. Griffiths reflects that he should always have a plan for when things go wrong and set up his business so someone wants to buy it.
As stated, in addition to these 12 basic sections, there is an additional section that contains an additional 20 survival tips. Here, Griffiths says among other things that you shouldn’t be afraid to charge what you’re worth; learn to delegate; try to win a prize for your business; constantly strive to improve your business; make your business environmentally friendly; and compile your own operations manual.
Stylistically, this text gets a passing grade. For example, the text is written in short reinforced blocks with very simple, jargon-free language. Griffiths adds the Survival Tips Action List at the end of each section to encourage active participation and practical application from readers. However, the (partially) repetitive areas of the multiplicity of advice contained in the text can still be harmonized to avoid possible conceptual redundancy. In general, this text is a masterpiece. Do you want to achieve lasting success in your business, especially during this period of global economic downturn? If the answer is “Yes”, then you need to obtain a copy of this book.