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Mike Southon is a serial entrepreneur and co-author of four books on starting and growing businesses.
During the 1980s he co-founded The Instruction Set, a computer services company, which he later sold to what is now Cap Gemini. He worked with 17 start-up ventures during the 1990s, two of which, Riversoft and Micromuse, later listed on the stock exchange.
Mike is a visiting fellow in innovation and entrepreneurship at London South Bank University and a fellow of both the Royal Society of Arts and the Professional Speakers’ Association.
www.beermat.biz - -
How to speak volumes
The main challenge in public speaking is preparing the material. I rely on a very simple structure.
Try some DIY consulting
One of the advantages of working for a small company is that you do not have to worry too much about strategy.
A fitness plan for lean years
We may be moving into recession, or the “winter” of the economy, but “spring” is just around the corner, and we should prepare accordingly.
Why you have my number
What do you have on your business cards? Unlike most people, mine has my picture, as I feel that it is always good to put a face to a name
Map out your strategies
One of the most common questions I am asked by entrepreneurs is: “How do I get funding for my exciting new business?”
All you need is love (and luck)
The Beatles’ story has many business learning points. It also reflects my own start-up experience in the early 1990s.
Best reason to think seasonal
Successful entrepreneurs seem to have an in-built sense of timing
Thrusting or thrust upon
If Shakespeare were alive today, he might observe: “Some people are born entrepreneurs, but some have entrepreneurship thrust upon them.”
Ask a leading question
What people look for most in a leader is a vision, a clear statement of where the organisation is going. More difficult is the second quality: people want to know exactly where they stand with the leader.
The pains and the gains
With recession looming, perhaps now is the time to dust off that business plan and start a new venture.
