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Sometimes, understanding rules and regulations that affect business can cause a headache.

Certain agencies are in place to help businesses meet compliance – however, finding clarity can be as much a challenge as finding the required information from the outset.

Our corporate clients occasionally report to us that information was delivered to them from competition which conflicts HSE regulations, and we are more often still told that they are confused by what exactly is required to remain compliant.

To bring clarity to the entire situation, we made the decision to keep everything as simple as possible, and aim high to guarantee no leaks can be found within our customers organisations should they ever be required to answer to the HSE or similar body during an inquest.

We sincerely hope this post is informative, and brings a bit of Centric clarity to your business.

What regulations guide businesses in regards to First Aid in the Workplace?

In England and Wales, 'The Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981', as produced by the HSE. More information can be found here: www.hse.gov.uk

Wasn't this amended recently?

It certainly was! The HSE brought about the biggest change to the regulations since it was first formed.

In a nutshell, The HSE is no longer responsible for regulating those who deliver training – this means that the company seeking out training needs to ensure the training provider it uses meets the basic criteria to provide a compliant course. This is known as 'Due diligence'.

Does this cause problems and more confusion?

Yes, in our experience, it does. Since the regulation change there has been an influx of sole traders starting who do not meet the criteria, offering courses which were once regulated. Their training for ‘qualifications’ fall short of any expected standard, which potentially could cause future problems for the employing company, who unwittingly employs them.

On the other hand, it has given the opportunity for small enterprises to start without having to hit a high bench mark, and who can deliver perfectly good training, meeting all the due diligence check points, thus making course access easier, and competition more fair.

How can we as a company ensure we get the right training partner?

The easiest way is to check the companies due diligence checklist – to ask them up front if their courses are compliant for a companies HSE provision.

Most reputable training providers offer an accredited course through an awarding body – which ensures that partner operates under the same system as previously prescribed by the HSE. 

We’re just a small company, we don’t need to worry about First Aid right?

You’re right, you don’t need to worry about it, but you do need to think about it – and act appropriately.

The HSE states:

“The minimum First Aid provision on any work site is:

• A suitably stocked First Aid Kit.
• An Appointed Person to take charge of First Aid arrangements.
• Information for employees about First Aid arrangements.”

To that end, even if your company comprises of 2 people in an office, you still need a First Aid kit, someone to take charge during an incident, and an information board.

Whether or not you could expect any comeback during a normal company life from the HSE from such a small setup is debatable, however, should an injury or illness occur in the workplace, and that provision is not met, you can guarantee problems for failing in your duty of care as an employer, worse still, the injured party could miss out on life saving action which, for the sake of a short course and a First Aid kit would be a tragedy.

You do not, in the latest HSE publication require a qualified First Aider for such a small business – however, for all the right reasons, it is highly advisable, and forms part of responsibly running a company. If your organisation deals with the public, or has one of several other conditions, you DO require a qualified First Aider.

For all organisations, we offer a free course on behalf of the British Heart Foundation called ‘Heartstart’. This is not suitable for meeting compliance – and is not a compliant course in the eyes of HSE, but it does teach the very basics of life support until help arrives. It’s also a good opportunity to bond a team together, and goes part of the way to promoting a duty of care.

Most commonly this course is taught to additional co-workers on the back of Centric certifying the companies designated First Aiders with a course such as 'First Aid at Work'

So there’s quite a few courses, which one is right for us?

Every time, we suggest the ‘First Aid at Work’ course. It is a 3 day (18 hour) course, and is valid for 3 years. We suggest this, without viewing your individual company, because it’s a good cover-all course. The only other consideration is how many staff require this training, and this is dependent on companies risk assesment, and size.

There are other courses though, such as ‘Emergency First Aid at Work’ (EFAW). This is a 1 day course, and meets the basic requirements.

This handy table acts as a good guide on meeting compliance:

What about First Aid kits?

There are specifically designed First Aid kits which reflect the amount of people on site, they state on the package that they are HSE compliant for 25 people, 50 people etc.

Certain companies, specifically large attractions and manufacturing plants, and those employing a significant amount of people on site may require a First Aid room, and even a full time member of staff whose sole purpose is to work within that section.

Centric can assist with the establishment of First Aid provisions from a small First Aid box through to an entire Medical Centre. We can also assist with emergency planning and resilience.

I’ve suddenly realised we don’t have anyone qualified to deliver First Aid in our Workplace!

You’re not alone. Many businesses haven’t even considered this vital area of compliance. It is important, and it is in the businesses best interests to achieve the minimum standards, more so, to exceed them. Training providers such as Centric can assist with delivering training at an affordable rate, and with convenience to your company.

Summary

'Meeting and Exceeding' the HSE regulations / requirements needn't be an unachievable challenge. With the right training partner assisting you make informed decisions, gaining compliance is pretty straightforward. 

Centric First Aid Training covers the whole of England and Wales - it even can train staff overseas or in remote locations, such as on board cruise ships - mid cruise, which, for this particular business, means their staff down time is minimal. We simply embark at one port, and depart at another!

Each class can hold a maximum of 12 students, and Centric can run up to 6 classes at the same time without outsourcing. Centric can teach on your site, or within a local community resource (Education Centre). Often companies only have one or two candidates for a course, and this is fine - it is possible to collaborate with other businesses to increase course size, which makes the training a superb networking event!

For more information, visit www.centricuk.com or telephone, Freephone: 0800 096 45 44. This number is available 24 Hours a day, 7 days a week – as is our training.

AH dang, If I were a Matlo, I'd be pitching myself for hire :/

I'm ex Pongo, also MT, Class 1 vehicle polisher, and class 2 broom operative.

I transferred after about 5 years, and then worked my way up from NAAFI loiterer to Civvi gradually over my last 3.

Ambulances? Was that during the Ambulance strikes? or for repat duties?

The closest I got was driving green goddesses... (In the latest round of strikes... I'm still reasonably young...)

Spot on Steve. 

Experience and Convenience - that's what the consumer demands. Heck, come to think of it, it's just convenience, The large superstores are no pleasurable experience at all.

If I had the money, I'd buy an entire retail area to conduct an experiment on it all. 

What I do feel, is the people in the know, with the resources and power to implement changes and turn around the decline of small retailers, are generally doing very little, and no leadership for the SME's exists.

I think if we look too deep into the reasons for this, there may be an ulterior motive behind it, preceded with a £ sign. 

Ah, thought you were ex mob too by your terminology...

Attitude is everything - From Owning the business to being a co-worker in any department. At the moment everyone can do everyone's job in this part of the company, and that works well. Telesales takes a special kind of person though... I do believe we have that person... Fingers Crossed. Then we grow it.

There's many benefits to having staff First Aid trained, the first being that it's within the HSE guidelines. The larger the company / industry it's in, the stricter the enforcement of these regs.

Ill churn a separate post on this trying to be neutral, and not linking to ourselves too much, but in essence, having someone as an Appointed Person for First Aid upwards can make the difference between getting sued senseless for a failure of duty of care, and delivering plain simple life saving assistance.

The main perks are being able to have a heart attack at work, and being close to someone proficient to jump up and down on your chest. It won't reduce insurance, but, it's one more thing that an insurance company will look at if applicable, and refuse to payout on a claim if the provision isn't made correctly. 

We are a bit weird, in that the company runs on a mixture of Karma, Good Service, Hugs and Coffee. The Karma side of the business offers a FREE course for the workplace on behalf of The British Heart Foundation. We'll travel anywhere in the world to do the training so long as Transport, Accommodation and Food is covered for the Instructors. It only takes 2 hours, and gives an attendance certificate. It's not HSE, but, for the new start ups, it gives them an opportunity to get a bit of press coverage for doing the course, and increases the amount of people with a basic CPR knowledge, so it's all good. It's been mega popular, and doesn't interfere with the paid side of the business, in fact, it compliments it well.

We know so many people don't have the funds to invest in things like this, and many businesses tend to put First Aid on the back burner, but, with quantity discounts making the training for a group more affordable (We often have several companies teaming up together to fill a course) and with our will to help anyone from any background have a leg up, we tend to overcome the objective DM who might consider Procrastinating.

More than that, if a company requests it, they get me for a few days... Now that's just fun wrapped up in a crepe bandage, all bouncing to get out... and I make a cracking brew...

I've sailed around there a few times... (Waves from a distance). Might be the closest you'll get.
Haven't even done business on the islands... Must work to change that!

A customer in my Bristol store came in like clockwork, once a week, every Friday.

He was a really old guy, probably younger than he looked, but still old.

Each time he came in, he asked for something we didn't stock. The first few times, I didn't confirm an order, but mentally agreed it was a good idea to stock the item, purchased it from the wholesaler, and had it on the shelf within a few days. 

When he came back in, he never purchased the items he had asked for, even though I pointed out they were now in stock, but instead asked for a different item.

Frustrated, I stopped ordering things he asked for. He still came in.

After several months of this behaviour, even my staff were getting tired of him, and we're beginning to change our rule of "Smile and Greet" to "Frown and Grunt".

One sunny summers day, I was at the end of my tether. It was one of those days where the only people we had seen were the type who thought they were our friends, so virtually lived in the store, and the crazy people who de-hangered clothes with ease, leaving cotton heaps wherever they trod. A few other things had been broken by visitors, and I was well aware our turnover for the day was £1.12, with 2p of that being scooped up from the floor by eagle eyed me.

Add several unexpected bills into the equation, a few cold calls trying to convince me to invest in all kinds of nonsense, and the requirement to release one of our co-workers because they wouldn't stop stealing stuff, I was far from delighted to see the old guy shuffle in.

He uttered the fatal words "Do you have...." 

I exploded "What the chuffing heck* do you keep asking for stuff for if you're not going to buy it!" I said (* Changed the words slightly in remorse, and in favour of the forum).

He looked up, quite calmly, staring me out in the eyes totally emotionless.

At this point, there was a deathly silence in the store. The one other customer who was fiddling with something in the back of the shop - next to the sign that said 'Do not touch', promptly replaced it on the shelf, and made a mad dash for the exit.

My two staff members behind the counter did the tawny owl impression, gazing, open eyed into the unravelling quagmire I had just created, waiting for the next move on this fatalistic chess board.

I kind of expected this old guy to slam his walking stick into the ground and shout "You Shall Not Pass", before a tonne of Hobbits and Elves and Orks appeared to battle it out in front of me...

But, I'm going to let you down, and humour shall stop, because I learnt a very valuable lesson.

The old guy explained that he once had a shop, just like mine - in fact, he had stocked the very same things I did. He lost his business in the last economic down turn, and the things he asked for weren't requests, but were actually friendly advice. They were the things he had once stocked, and found to be fast movers, high profit margin items, best sellers - and he hadn't seen them in our shop.

Quickly thinking back to the items I had bought from the wholesaler in the belief he'd return and purchase, I realised, they had all sold very quickly, both in store, and online. 

I'd like to say, 8 years on he runs the store for me, or he's now a company director, or he still comes in to give us advice, but none of that would be true - no.

I just stood there with my bottom lip wobbling wishing the ground would swallow me up whole.

He was never seen again, but we do stock the items he had once asked for, and our business in retail is a strong one.

For those with shops in town centres, business can be a mixed bag.

Some high street stores report record profits, whilst others grasp onto life by the skin of their teeth. Others still, close, leaving empty, unsightly buildings, bringing down the overall appeal of the locality. Where I sit right now, there are 3 businesses with ‘Closing Down’ signs - On my street. My home town is a ghost town - there's nothing left to close down. A far cry from my Childhood, which is filled with fond memories of a busy and bustling retail experience 

The problem is immense. But why has this come about? How can it be reversed? Is it worth it?

Before we look at this, lets deal with the doubters. There are those who have had business in town centre locations, and had a good exit strategy, making a profit, or those who remain, and are doing well. The problem isn’t universal, and for those people, I am glad. A mixture of good location, good community, and their good business sense has prevailed. To that end, I appreciate what I am saying may apply only to the 30 or so towns I frequent with business – I’m of the belief though, it may apply to all small towns nationwide...

But for these very towns, there is a definite issue.

Larger chains, their foot soldiers in store don’t see, or realise the ins and outs of business ownership. They are set targets to achieve, and this is their goal. Their products are usually very competitively price marked, with a national advertising campaign using all methods including TV. The margins are exceptionally high – with several brands having the purchase power to buy out masses of liquidated stock, or negotiate huge discounts on bulk purchases – and as I doubt very much the owners of M&S, Wilkinsons, Sports Direct or the other chains will read this, we’ll leave them to it – but, for a part, they are both a slice of the problem, and a slice of the solution. It is to be noted, they themselves have had turbulent times.

I want to focus on the businesses that forum members may have. The SME’s, from sole proprietors to little Limited companies. Butchers, Bakers, Haberdasheries, and the such.

These businesses experience dwindling customer numbers, high rent, high rates, and they scratch their heads trying to survive. So lets take a look at each key issue individually to find a solution together.

Dwindling Customer Numbers.

Customers have more choice today than ever. With 24 hour stores such as Tesco offering similar products, it makes sense to go to the out of town superstores. It has free parking, right outside the store, and it’s open after work.

Conversely, the town centre isn't convenient. Parking is often a little walk from the shops, usually you have to pay to park, it’s grotty, grubby, smelly. There’s parking wardens everywhere, crime feels as though it’s rife. The prices in the shops appear to be more expensive, and the place is 9 -5.

So, this is a problem of convenience, cost and experience.

What needs to happen, is the local authority (Who generally owns the car parks) needs to give free parking. The place needs to be cleaned, budget needs to be expended to sanitise and paint, and as an area becomes more prosperous, the anti social visible side of crime kind of steps down, or moves on – the area naturally cleans up as community returns. As profit returns, prices can be lowered in store, and the local authority benefits from a higher revenue base, all paying its rates and taxes, offsetting the lost revenue from parking. Holistically, the situation improves all over.

Real incentive to come to the town centre needs to be given. Take the benefits away from the out of town shopping centres, and make it cool to shop in town. Interestingly enough, when I go anywhere on holiday overseas, I eat in the local towns – I don’t seek out a McDonalds. I shop in the little towns too – not trying to find supermarkets... that’s because I want to experience the sights and sounds available. Currently, in many British towns (Not all) the sights and sounds are far from pleasing.

If a British town centre had live entertainment, (as in music, morris dancers, etc) and live events, and items of interest being played out, then the visit becomes an experience. A sense of belonging returns, and community is established. If it’s clean, safe, and aesthetically appealing, you want to be there.

The town centres should be a viable place to get anything and everything, and to experience something exciting and exhilarating, and you know something, shops now need to open from 0800 – 2100 Hrs to start competing. All businesses need to pool together, to ensure continuity of footfall, and to change the trend in the mindset of the shopper, so they understand they can shop after working hours.

High Rent

Often falling Turnover – let alone profit, is blamed on the landlords commanding a high rental price.

Well, they own the property, they have a mortgage on it, you don’t need to be there. I don’t own any retail property, I’m just trying to be adjective.

The truth is, it is better for them to have a tenant, than not. After a couple of months as an empty property, they are liable to pay rates, so it’s not a healthy position to be in.

This is great leverage, (Landlords will hate me) Negotiate. If the property is £35000 PA, offer them £5000 and work out a price you both are willing to commit to. If you've got a great idea, and you know it’s going to work, and this is a new business, why not get 3 months free, if you paint the place, followed by a rising incremental rent scale over time, until, at year 5, you’re paying just below the full amount.

Ensure you have a break out clause of course – say 3 months rent, just in case things go wrong.

Currently locked into a lease? Have a chat with your landlord, and tell them you will close the doors – and need relief. Does he really want an empty building?

Don’t forget, the landlord is a business person too – just a different kind. He's in this to make money.

High Rates

Rates, in my opinion are a large cause of business failure. Often we see rates that exceed the rent being paid, and local authorities not willing to deliver any relief at all. (It’s on a case by case basis, and in my experience they are tight – because they are skint). There’s no negotiation, and the local authority will arrange collections swiftly for non payment, often taking tenants to court.

First of all, if you are unable to pay rates, then you must speak to the council – they aren’t all monsters, and can help with payment plans and the such.

However, I don’t believe rates should operate as they do, and the revenue should be generated from a tax – so your company does well, the council gets more money, your company is doing badly, the council gets less / nothing. Much the same as the rest of the business taxes work.

Instead, Rates are worked out by property size, and location, with a few other factors thrown in for good measure, making expansion seem scarier than it needs to be, oppressing the little guy, and keeping him in his box.

Something should be done about this at Government level, with more incentive to in town stores of certain sizes. Perhaps a new startup incentive to allow them to crawl, then walk, before they can run.

Stick these things all together, and do the math with a real business and we can often find something like this:

Per Month:
Monthly Turnover: £4800
Product stock replenishment cost: 50% : £2400
Rent: £800 (negotiated down from £1700)
Rates:£1200 (After just being put up by the VOA)

So, this guy had to find £2000 from his turnover just to be there, let alone the cost of travelling to work, eating, Gas, Water, Electricity, Insurance etc etc.

It’s no surprise, he was running at a loss.

What he needs is to double his turnover, and the way to do that is to double the footfall.

To double the footfall, you need the incentives that the out of town shopping brings. If he was a new business, and he had no rates to pay, he could reinvest in his business, and grow it, bringing more product lines in.

So, how do we bring about change? There is much talk, and little action. Without instigating non payment and Rebecca Riots, Chambers of Commerce should take more of a stand. Everyone should be united, with solidarity.

The local authority needs shaking up, and we need to return to a system of fairness and common sense.

But, in business, we, as business people need to focus, and if we want an opinion, we need to be able to play with the big boys.

The large nationals as mentioned before seem to be doing ok – sure, we’ve lost the likes of Woolworths and other brand names, but, we must ask ourselves how we can Improvise, Adapt and Overcome any difficulties.

We’ve discussed some of the problems faced, but what are we going to do about it? Are we going to lobby on mass for a resolution? Will we renegotiate rent?

Or perhaps the route forwards is to generate more revenue somehow?

If you have a retail business, in a town centre, you cannot simply rely on walk by trade – you now need to think about marketing, and having a strong online presence.

Not understanding technology is no excuse. If you have a cake shop, do you understand how to make an oven from its component parts to bake the cake? Of course not.  You outsource it to the manufacturer, and the online presence is the same.

The ability to stock check online, then come in store to look, feel and touch the product, before decision making is the new way of shopping. Once the customer is in store, you now have the opportunity to upsell, and of course, the potential is there to make additional purchase for price rounding.

Other customers may prefer to buy online - even though they are a stones throw from the store - hey they pay shipping, so it's all good, and it makes your store 24/7!

Don’t have the revenue to afford implementation of this? Speak to you children, grandchildren, or approach a local college and see if their IT department wants a project to take on.

You must think outside of the box, and go the extra mile. Marketing old businesses as though they were new, and bringing the focus back into what you do best.

What we are trying to overcome, more than ever, is the self destroying excuses. Think 'can do', then 'do', and never get bogged down in negativity.

In Summary, the town centres are shambolic at times with many factors affecting it. But if we identify the problems, find the solutions, and work together with positivity for prosperity, we can win. 

The infrastructure is in place, and our town centres traditionally are very nice places – communities are still there, just,  it’s the trends that have changed, and we must adapt with the times. 

We haven't tried it yet, but, yes, it is more targeted, and, it will produce results - if done properly, with good data, and a good sales person. Sales is just a numbers game. The more people you speak too, the more chances there will be to have a yes.

The only issue I see, is people don't like the cold call. It's not unusual, it's not unique, and for me, when I get them, it's a pain in the rear - often offering a product or a service I don't want (But end up buying because I'm a pushover)

Our product tends not to be offered with telesales, and we have freebies, so... er,... its win win!

Absolutely Steve! Getting out there and talking to people is priceless! 

For a start, it makes us realise we're not alone, through the good times, and the bad.

Getting around these days can be time consuming, and in the modern workplace, time really is at a premium, sure, we can spare an hour or two, but, the additional 2 hours before and after for travel makes it improbable. So, we move from cars, to Helicopters. Problem is, they cost a bomb to buy, hire, or even use.

Thankfully 21st C means we can draw away from that, and use Skype, and forums such as these. The best thing about the forums is that our ramblings are stored for eternity. I've often drawn comfort from a post several years old - because it's given me the answer I need from my googling around. 

You can't beat meeting face to face though... more so if the other side is funding transport, food, and accommodation... We make a point of having a down day for major networking and supplier events - for us, things like "The Emergency Services Show" are a great opportunity to meet people who we deal with daily on the phone, as well as making new contacts.

There are trade shows for everything. Entry is usually free (or cheap) to the visitor, and I'd encourage everyone to go on them. We make ourselves look a little special, dress up a bit, and stroll around trying to get as many freebies as possible!

People go into business for many varying reasons - but most businesses fail for the same reasons.

I've had quite a few businesses that have failed, and it's all down to me - but at the time, I blamed everything, from business rates through to not being able to get enough investment for speculation.

These things can effect business yes, but, what I learned is the way in which we deal with these stumbling blocks marks out our route to success (or failure!). If we submit to the fact we will never get the money to pay for what is needed, we tread water, and eventually sink. If we up our game, then we float, and eventually reach dry land.

Most businesses fail because the business owner didn't find out about things, such as Rates, Tax, or didn't research their market well enough, or didn't expand their range enough - and all this happens generally within the first 12 months of opening.

The sad fact is, that for some people reading this, they will have stumbled upon it out of pure desperation - because their business isn't doing what they hoped it would.

Let me cease the negativity right now then, and make you a promise. I Promise you, that so long as you're already not sunk, so long as you have fight left in you, it's not too late to change the way your business is performing.

Lots of people make lots of money by telling you what you should, and shouldn't do - there are books on it, and courses, whole seminars, and conferences, and if that works for you, then great...

But most people don't have the time, or the money to go on such things. Most people in businesses that are dying are living hand to mouth.

So, have some free stuff on me, and this wonderful forum!

1. The first difference between Successful people, and people who fail, is mental attitude. PMA is king (Positive Mental Attitude). Force yourself to smile, and greet everyone you meet with a warm welcome. Don't do this - you fail. People buy People.

2. Dress for success - This doesn't mean going out and buying a Gucci suit. I own one, and it's reserved for my funeral. We have a corporate uniform, and everyone is equal at work, so we pretty much dress the same. More than this, dressing for success includes personal appearance. Wake up to what you look and smell like. When I interview for new co-workers, I see a whole range of people, from the ideal candidate, down to someone wearing half their breakfast and stinking of cigarettes and body odour. Personal Hygiene is a key - wash yourself, and your clothes, iron, starch, and polish everything, look in the mirror, comb, and smile. You will get the job with me instantly, or you will get my business instantly, even if I have to work a little harder to make everything happen. Presentation is everything. You and your business.

3. Diversify - Ok, so you know your products well, the customer doesn't, right? Wrong! Whether you're selling physical stock, or services, the customers expectations can be wide and varied from your own opinions. If you are, for example, selling Umbrellas, and pink is your favourite colour, you would be nuts to just stock Pink umbrellas, even if your store is called 'The Pink Umbrella Shop'. You of course get loads of different colours in, loads of different styles, and when summer hits, it becomes a parasol shop. The same applies for EVERYTHING. You sell insurance, what? just the one policy?, Mobile phones, the one brand? The one choice of accessory? Of course not. You have to become an Aladdins Cave of stuff, so your customer is never disappointed, and you satisfy their every desire. Got no money to do all this buying stuff because you've spent out on things that don't sell? Ebay them, re-invest.

4. Market - Most early startup failures don't even attempt to market. They don't know how, or they have a lethargy that prevents them (See PMA). If I am awesome at what I do, and I don't tell anyone, my awesomeness becomes the best kept secret. As far as Ego - that's great, as far as business, that's fatal. If you're selling cheese knives, you have a stock of 10000000 in your warehouse, how is anyone going to buy them unless you tell people about them. Leaflets, and continual talking about your Brilliant Cheese Knives will sell heaps of them. You get them out there, you pitch them, you give out free samples to massive customers to try at home - so far, the cost of this is minimal. You get a website, you invest time into good SEO (Learn about it).

My most successful business was started when I was flat broke. I started it with £50. All the money I had in the world. Word of mouth Marketing brought customers, customers brought money, money was reinvested in marketing, marketing brought more customers, more customers brought more money, more money was invested. 10 years on, it's all still in place.

5. Speculate to Accumulate - No one who has been successful started off by saying "Hmm... I dunno". They took a gamble, but, there's a difference between being a good gambler, and being a total loser. You'd be hard pushed to find sun beds in Kenya. But there are snow machines in the snowy pistes of the Alps, and I've sold mobile phones to people who can't hear (So they can take advantage of the SMS capabilities to help them communicate) Yes, think outside the box, but before speculating, ensure there is unbiased support for the project. Refer to 'Dragons Den'.

And there we have it. Simple! 

If these were the only issues we face in business, we'd all be millionaires, but of course, there are loads more, and the way in which you deal with all issues marks out success. Yes, it's not nice meeting wage bills, rent and rates, when this eats into margins which you feel should be profit, but the key is to make more money, sell more, grow, and to do new things that help make that happen. Don't rely on any one angle.

Finally, if you remember nothing but this saying, please apply this to your situation:

"If you keep doing what you've always done, you'll keep getting what you've always got".