Posts by Scott Patterson

Dealing with surreal and frightening times
In our current environment, we are all hearing words like unprecedented, crises, surreal, frightening and disturbing being used to try and articulate how we are...

Culture eats Strategy for Breakfast
There is an old saying in business that “culture eats strategy for breakfast”. This means that without a healthy vibrant culture in which employees...

Maximise the value of your business with an Employee Share Ownership Plan (ESOP)
We have all heard the adage that “it’s easy to look good when you are surrounded by a great team”. Equally I have heard...

Now is the time to stop and take stock of your business
When we own and operate a business of any size it’s very easy to get caught up in the everyday issues of running that business.

Exit Planning: Opt for Pre-mortem rather than Post-mortem
We know that 55% of all business exits are via less than favourable circumstances. That is either death, disability, bankruptcy, receivership, liquidation or simply closing...

Low Employee Engagement? These measures will turn it around
When talking with small to medium enterprises (SME) and family business owners, and you ask them about their major concerns, many will express frustrations around...

Should you keep your business in the family?
Why is it that succession in family businesses can be such a difficult issue? Why is it that such a low...

How an attitude of ‘she’ll be right, mate’ won’t work for your family business succession
At a recent meeting with some long-standing clients who have built, and continue to operate, a successful family business I asked the parents (who both...

Unplanned Adventures
Most people would not describe the process of owning and running their own business as “an unplanned adventure”. Yet statistics would suggest that this is...

Regrets – I’ve Had A Few!
There have been several surveys done in recent years asking people in the latter stages of their careers if they had any regrets or, “if...