Business

If I had my life to live over … Humorist Erma Bombeck once wrote a column titled “If I had my life to live over.” In it she offered such nuggets of wisdom as, “I would have invited friends over to dinner even if the carpet was stained and the sofa faded” and “I would never have insisted the car windows be rolled up on a summer day because my hair had just been teased and sprayed.”

Country singing star Tim McGraw wrote his blockbuster song “Live Like You Were Dying” shortly after the death of his father, baseball great Tug McGraw. I understand the notion that you have to live each...

How many times do we go to networking events, exchange business cards with several individuals and then… not follow up! We are all guilty of this to a lesser or greater degree and yet we have made the initial investment in the design, print and exchange of cards, attending the function and introducing ourselves, so what goes wrong?

Is it our typical British reserve? Why do we feel so awkward about making follow up contact? Could it be that our expectations are so high that it stops us from thinking about the most appropriate approach? Is it that we feel that it’s obvious these...

Devon Waste Management, the county’s leading independent waste management business, has secured a £5.5million finance package from the Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking team in Plymouth to support its continued expansion.

Steve Hadley who was previously Commercial Director, has also taken over ownership and management of the business from Collin Hickling, who has left to pursue other interests. Steve will continue to be supported at board level by Devon Waste Management’s Chairman, Allan Vodden, and Non-Executive Director, Stuart Crebo.

The lending facility has been provided...

"If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses”. There is some debate as to whether Henry Ford, to whom this line is often attributed, ever actually said this. Irrespective, it does raise some interesting questions, mainly about asking the right questions.

Any business, in establishing a client’s needs and requirements must ask the right questions. In my profession, for example, it is vital to establish need and objectives before recommending a suitable investment strategy. However, this is rarely as simple as asking a client what they want to achieve....