Business Model

Market Strategy

Run a 90-Minute Market Reality Check

Andrew Penny, March 3 2026

If you’ve ever been fly fishing, you know this. A slight change in temperature. A subtle shift in light. A minor change in water level. And suddenly the fish stop biting. The fly that worked beautifully an hour ago is now completely ignored. The fish haven’t disappeared. They haven’t become irrational. They’re simply responding to their...

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Leadership & Management

Is Capitalism Broken?

Andrew Penny, February 17 2026

Who knows what GDP stands for? Gross Domestic Product. The number politicians point to when they want to prove things are going well. Up? We’re winning. Down? We’re in trouble. It’s the same with the stock market. Market up? Champagne. Market down? Panic. GDP measures the total monetary value of goods and services produced. It tells us how much...

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Market Strategy

5 Things to Know about Forecasting

Andrew Penny, February 3 2026

It’s that time of year again.Spreadsheets are open. Fingers are crossed. People are hard at work forecasting next year’s revenue. Too often, I see a number plucked from the air. "Let’s try and hit $10 million this year!" Unfortunately, that $10 million can look very different depending on how you measure

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Leadership & Management

A Tall, and Taller, Story

Graham Birkenhead, September 2 2025

For as long as I’ve owned a house, I’ve had a ladder. They’re one of those things you don’t really think about - until you need one. Mine was the sort that could be used as a step-ladder or converted to a longer ladder, and in my little suburban house, it did everything I

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Market Strategy

Services

Andrew Penny, April 8 2025

Almost every headline these days refers to tariffs and the chaos and reciprocity swirling around the world. In the midst of all this, we need to remember that the new tariffs ping-ponging back and forth are on ‘Goods’ – physical, manufactured stuff. If you are in the services business, the impact is indirect – i.e. your foreign clients may be...

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Leadership & Management

Game-on   Elbows-up

The Kingsford Team, March 4 2025

All of our clients are privately owned businesses. They have the privilege to do business with whom they choose. This email is for them. Trump’s trade war has started and many are wondering what to do next. We can help - which we’ll explain in a minute. We are in the consulting business because we love what we do and we are on a mission to...

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Leadership & Management

Don't Panic

Graham Birkenhead, February 4 2025

Douglas Adams’  Hitchhikers Guide to The Galaxy starts with very simple advice – “Don’t Panic!”   This is great advice anytime but is particularly relevant today.  A single individual has been given the controls to much of the world’s economy and, without the dampening effects of consensus thinking, we are in for a rough time. It reminds me a bit...

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Leadership & Management

Yesterday's Logic

Graham Birkenhead, January 14 2025

5 Common Practices you should definitely move on from Peter Drucker said: “The greatest danger in times of turbulence is not the turbulence—it is to act with yesterday’s logic”. Well, we are in a time of turbulence - as per normal - although this quote feels particularly poignant just now. We see so many companies trying to operate today with...

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Leadership & Management

AI ... The Hammer looking for Nails

Andrew Penny, November 26 2024

Efficiencies:   Break your business down in processes and see which ones are taking the most time to create, complete or use. This might include – invoices, proposals, customer email response, sales reporting, market research, document updating, service manuals. Pick one and explore. Here are some tools to consider - depending on what the area...

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Market Strategy

“It’s an ill wind that blows no one any good”

Andrew Penny, October 22 2024

Henry VI , Part 3 While working with clients we often use a mnemonic called P-E-S-T-L-E; Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Legal, and Environmental. The idea is to look at these areas through the lens of your company to see where the threats and opportunities may lie. Typically, this is done as part of strategy development sessions....

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