How to validate a business idea before you spend any money
The five questions that decide whether your idea has legs, and the one-week test that beats six months of planning.
Read itInsights & guides
The bits I find myself explaining over and over.
Plain English, no signup, no fluff. If you find these useful and want them applied to your own situation, the first call is free.
How to take a product online in 30 days
What to set up, in what order, when you have one product to sell and no previous online experience. Written for someone selling jars of jam from a kitchen.
Read itHow to name your business so it does not haunt you
Eight tests every name should pass before you put a deposit on a domain, including the one most people skip until it is too late.
Read itWhen AI automation actually pays back for a small business — and when it doesn't
AI tools are everywhere, but most small businesses waste money on the wrong ones. Here's how I think about whether automation will actually save you time or just create new headaches.
Read itSole trader or limited company — how I'd decide if I were starting today
The structure question every Kent founder eventually asks. Here's how I'd think through it, based on having done both more than once.
Read itHow to get your first 10 customers without spending a penny on ads
Paid ads before you have proof is money down the drain. Here's how I found early customers across five businesses — and what I'd do first in Kent today.
Read itShould you build your own website or hire someone? Here is how I would decide
The honest framework I use when a Kent business owner asks me whether to DIY their site or pay someone. It depends on three things — not budget alone.
Read itHow to get your trade business found on Google without spending a penny on ads
Google Business Profile is the single highest-return thing a Kent tradesperson can do online. Here is how to set it up properly and what actually moves the needle.
Read itWhen AI automation actually pays back for a small business, and when it doesn't
AI tools get sold as magic. Here's how I think about whether automation will actually save a Kent SMB time and money — or just add complexity.
Read itWhat to automate first when you're running a small business on your own
Not everything in your business is worth automating. Here's how I'd decide what to tackle first — and what to leave well alone.
Read itShould your service business take bookings online, and is it actually worth the hassle
Online booking systems can save hours a week — or create a whole new set of headaches. Here's how I'd think about it for a Kent service business.
Read itHow to price your service so it reflects what you are actually worth
Most Kent tradespeople and service businesses underprice by habit. Here is how I think about rate-setting after twenty years of building and selling service businesses.
Read itWhich card payment setup is actually right for your small business
Stripe, Square, SumUp, or your bank's own terminal — Richard walks through what each option actually costs a Kent SMB and when each one makes sense.
Read itHow to move your service business from cash-and-phone to online bookings without breaking what works
Moving to online bookings sounds simple until you try it. Here's how I'd phase the switch so you keep existing customers and gain new ones.
Read itHow to choose a domain name you will not regret in three years
The decisions behind a domain name matter more than most founders realise — here is how I think through it for a Kent business going online.
Read itHow to stop relying on word of mouth and start getting leads online
Word of mouth built your business. Here's how to make the internet do the same job — without paid ads, without an agency, and without starting from scratch.
Read itWhy your website is losing you work (and what to do about it)
Most small business sites in Kent are quietly turning customers away. Here's how to spot the signs and fix what actually matters.
Read itHow to set up online payments for a small Kent service business without overcomplicating it
Stripe, SumUp, PayPal — which one to actually use when you're a sole trader or small limited company taking money online for the first time.
Read itInstagram or a website first — here is how I would decide
Every new operator faces this choice. I've watched it go wrong both ways. Here's the logic I'd walk you through over a first call.
Read itWhen to stop being a sole trader and go limited — and when not to bother
The honest answer to when incorporation actually makes sense for a Kent small business, from someone who's done it five times.
Read itWhat to actually put on your first business website
Most first websites have the wrong five things on them. Here's what I'd cut, what I'd keep, and what I'd add — from someone who has built more than a few.
Read itHow long a website actually takes — and why it's usually your fault it's late
The build itself is rarely what stalls a website project. Here's what actually causes delays, and how to avoid them.
Read itWhen does a small business actually need a mobile app
Most small businesses don't need an app — they need a better website. Here's how I decide which is which, and when an app genuinely earns its keep.
Read itWhat to sort out before anyone builds your website
The decisions you make before a single page is designed will save you weeks of back-and-forth and hundreds of pounds. Here's the prep list I give every client.
Read itWhy sending quotes by email is costing you jobs, and what to do instead
If your quotes are disappearing into inboxes and you never hear back, the problem probably isn't your price. Here's how I'd fix the follow-up.
Read itHow to follow up with a quote without feeling like you are chasing
Most small businesses lose work not because their price was wrong, but because they never followed up. Here is a simple system that fixes that without feeling awkward.
Read itHow to write your own website copy without it sounding like a brochure
Most small business websites say everything and nothing. Here's how to write words that actually make someone pick up the phone.
Read itWhy I'd fix your repeat customer problem before spending a penny on new ones
Chasing new customers when your existing ones aren't coming back is an expensive treadmill. Here's how I'd think about fixing the retention side first.
Read itWhen to quit your job and go full-time on your side business
The signals I watch for before telling anyone to hand in their notice — and the ones that look ready but aren't.
Read itWhat to do when word of mouth dries up
Word of mouth is a brilliant way to start, but a fragile way to grow. Here's how I'd approach building something more reliable.
Read itHow to get from quote to cash faster without chasing people
Most small businesses lose jobs in the gap between sending a quote and getting paid. Here's how I'd close that gap without awkward follow-up calls.
Read itWhat to sort out before you take on your first member of staff
Hiring someone for the first time is a bigger operational step than most founders expect. Here's what I'd get in order first.
Read itHow to write a proper brief before you commission a website
Most website projects go wrong in the first conversation. Here's how to arrive with a brief that gets you a sharper quote and a better result.
Read itWhen to raise your prices — and how to do it without losing your best customers
Most small businesses undercharge for years and then wonder why growth stalls. Here's how I've seen pricing decisions play out — and how to approach a rise without the fear.
Read itHow to sell through WhatsApp before you build a proper shop
Before you spend anything on an online shop, there's a faster way to find out if people will actually buy — and most Kent traders overlook it.
Read itWhat to do when your busiest month nearly breaks your business
Sudden demand is a good problem — until it isn't. Here's how I think about automating the bits that crack under pressure before they crack.
Read itWhat to do when your website gets no enquiries
Traffic but no contact form submissions? Here's how I diagnose a website that looks fine but quietly loses you work every week.
Read itHow to ask customers for Google reviews without making it weird
Most Kent tradespeople and shop owners have a dozen happy customers who've never left a review. Here's the exact approach I'd use to change that.
Read itWhat to do when your quote gets no reply
Sending quotes into silence is one of the most demoralising parts of running a small business. Here's how I'd fix the process, not just the follow-up.
Read itWhat to do when your website no longer fits your business
Your first site got you started. Now it's holding you back. Here's how I think through whether to patch, rebuild, or completely rethink.
Read itWhat I'd do differently if I was launching a service business today
Twenty years and five businesses on, here's what I'd change about the early days — and what I'd keep exactly the same.
Read itHow to get found on Google without paying for ads
The organic search moves that actually work for a Kent SMB — before you hand a penny to Google Ads.
Read itStuck on something not in the list?
WhatsApp the question. If a guide is the right answer, I will write it. If a 30-minute call is, I will offer that for free.