Original article written by Stephen Fear for the Urban Times January 2014. From A Childhood Wandering The Streets To Handshakes With Royals I suppose my interest in the British Royal Family started when I was 7 years old and decided to visit Buckingham Palace in London. Not, you understand, as…
Original article written by Stephen Fear for the Urban Times November 2013. Marketing your business properly is essential if you are to position it for growth. People often confuse marketing with selling. It is important to differentiate and understand these two flip sides of the same coin. Marketing is the function of delivering leads…
Original article written by Stephen Fear for the Urban Times November 2013. Selling What You Make – Manufacturing is an important aspect of any economic model but unless you can sell what you make, most of the effort is wasted. Lack of sales is what drives many businesses into the arms of…
Original article written by Stephen Fear for the Urban Times October 2013. Entrepreneurs Need The Right Mindset I have written many times about the need to get your mind-set right if you’re going to succeed, but as the world emerges from the stagnation of the last few years and competition increases once again, it…
Original article written by Stephen Fear for the Urban Times October 2013. 13 Pieces Of Advice You Need To Know When Starting A Business People often ask me what business I think they should go into and my reply is always the same – find something you really enjoy doing…
Original article written by Stephen Fear for the Urban Times September 2013. Always Do What It Says On Your Tin Business is a matter of selling either a product or a service for more than you pay for it after deducting all costs, such as marketing, administration, tax, vat and…
Original article written by Stephen Fear for the Urban Times September 2013. Tips For Dealing With International Customers Over the years I have dealt with almost every nationality you can think of and have found most people react well to these simple principals. Honesty Clarity in communication and frequency thereof…
Original article written by Stephen Fear for the Urban Times August 2013. With small businesses dubbed the key to growth in the US, UK and Canada – what can be done to ensure they’re as effective as possible? We hear from leading entrepreneur, Stephen Fear. Stop The (Business) Casualties The…
Original article written by Stephen Fear for the Urban Times August 2013. Time – The Most Important Asset We Have by Stephen Fear “Time is money” is an often muted phrase but how many people really pay attention to it? In today’s fast paced society there never seems enough time, which…
Original article written by Stephen Fear for the Urban Times August 2013. Selling your business after spending years creating it is probably the most important thing you will do. Personally I hate selling businesses because for me they become part of my daily activities & serve as an intrinsic element…
Original article written by Stephen Fear for the Urban Times July 2013. Learning How To Manage Risk By Thinking Things Through Business is to a certain extent about risk but it needn’t always be risky, that’s another thing altogether. Many entrepreneurs starting new businesses borrow to get them started, often from…
Original article written by Stephen Fear for the Urban Times July 2013. Our resident entrepreneurial expert Stephen Fear lays out his tips for sustaining your online legacy with a digital Will. As we move our lives into a digital arena, where privacy and passwords are king, ensure you allow your loved ones…
Original article written by Stephen Fear for the Urban Times July 2013. Many business people find meetings tiresome, but without them, getting any direction into your business is almost impossible. So how do you get the most out of every meeting? In my opinion one of the first things to do is…
Original article written by Stephen Fear for the Urban Times July 2013. Urban Times entrepreneurial expert Stephen Fear considers what exactly makes an entrepreneur and provides some helpful tips for getting started on the path to success: Interestingly, the noun ‘entrepreneur’ derives from the French and means ‘organiser’. Entrepreneurs are traders: some work for…