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The Best and The Worst Can Hide Reality

The Best and The Worst Can Hide Reality

by Ian Smith | Feb 23, 2012 | Execution Tips, Management, Management Help, Operational Tips

Standard & Poor companies posted a 6.6% rise in 4th quarter earnings in 2011 but if you excluded one company, Apple, the growth figure shrinks to 2.8%. The reality of the S&P 500 earnings growth is far less impressive. What could you see better by stripping...
How To Increase Profits From Your Business

How To Increase Profits From Your Business

by Ian Smith | Feb 2, 2012 | Building Business Value, Operational Tips, Profits Increase

As the CEO, it’s easy I hear you say, just increase sales or reduce costs or both! Brilliant. However on the basis that your operational team needs more guidance than that, I’ve listed a few ideas to get your juices flowing. A few ideas worth considering...
Solving Operational Problems – Categorize, Scope, Allocate

Solving Operational Problems – Categorize, Scope, Allocate

by Ian Smith | Jan 20, 2012 | Agility, Alignment, Operational Tips, Problem Solving

During last year at The Portfolio Partnership we embedded our operational blueprint across many sectors. The most common symptom across all clients? Handing operational problems correctly to get them solved. Yes key operational blueprints regarding marketing and...
Fulfilling the Potential of Your Business – 9 Questions You Need to Answer

Fulfilling the Potential of Your Business – 9 Questions You Need to Answer

by Ian Smith | Jul 22, 2011 | Building Business Value, Grooming For Sale, Operational Tips

When I started blogging in the summer of 2008 on a regular basis I had a simple objective, to share short, sharp pieces of operational advice that had worked for me over the last 25 years. Specifically I aspired to help owners and their teams make their businesses:...

New Strategies You Need to Embrace

by Ian Smith | Feb 25, 2011 | Compelling Stories, Operational Tips, Repositioning, Strategy

As a leader within an SMB or a large public group, reading the latest WSJ or books  from Seth, Bill Taylor, Hugh MacLeod, Jason Fried & David Heinemeier Hansson, you might believe the world has changed forever. Add crazy valuations like $60Bn for a social network...

How to Build a University Inside Your Business

by Ian Smith | Dec 31, 2010 | Mentoring, Operational Tips, Training, University Concept

Investing in your biggest asset, your people, is one of the simplest, cheapest and most effective way to build your business. The trouble is that most in house training is badly executed with no formal curriculum and little inspiration connecting all the moving parts....
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  • The Deal Is Being Negotiated Long Before You Discuss Price

    The Deal Is Being Negotiated Long Before You Discuss Price

    November 13, 2026
    Lessons from decades around the negotiating table. Imagine sitting across the table from someone who has spent 30 years building …Read More »
  • Are You Buying Growth — or Buying Complexity?

    Are You Buying Growth — or Buying Complexity?

    November 6, 2026
    Why acquisitions fail—and why the operating model matters more than the deal model. An acquisition can make your business bigger …Read More »
  • Doing More Deals Doesn’t Make You a Better Acquirer

    Doing More Deals Doesn’t Make You a Better Acquirer

    October 30, 2026
    Why the post-mortem may be the most undervalued stage of the acquisition process. The company has completed its tenth acquisition. …Read More »

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