copywriting

My Personal Policy on Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI)

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Personal policy on generative AI

If you’ve read any of my articles or blogs where I mention Artificial Intelligence (AI) you’ll be aware of my stance. As with all things tech, AI is a force for both good and for ill. In the right hands and with the best intentions, it’s a wonderful tool. In the wrong hands, it’s a … Read more

My Thoughts on Guest Blogging

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My thoughts on guest blogging represented by typewriter keysEvery once in a while something crops up in the world of search marketing that really piques my interest. Caffeine, Hilltop, Panda, Penguin and Hummingbird and all those updates and refreshes in all their versions, if appropriate, are usually talked about ad nauseam and there’s often little to be added to the conversation because there’s nothing new to be said or you’re probably a heretic for saying something different.

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Texas Joe Reigns in Dragons

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“Texas Joe Reigns in Dragons” was originally written by Paul Mackenzie Ross for the is4profit small business blog

Texas Joe's lean and mean beef jerkyLast night’s episode of Dragons’ Den on BBC was a corker.

We saw a pitch for an “umbrella” for a rotary dryer, an exercise mat that you can wear around your waist and yet another bid for funding for a range of sauces… [at least it wasn’t cupcakes – Ed]

But the best pitch of the night came from Joe Walters, a native Texan living in London, and he was wearing a cowboy hat and a rhinestone suit, accompanied by a bluegrass band singing “Put that jerky in your mouth, mouth, mouth”…

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StartUp Loans: Why Raising the Age Limit is So Desperately Needed

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“StartUp Loans: Why Raising the Age Limit is So Desperately Needed” first appeared in the is4profit small business blog

StartUp LoansThe first small business news story of the day today is that Lord Young, David Cameron’s Enterprise Adviser, wants to raise the age limit on StartUp Loans.

This is a great idea and I’ll explain why…

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Should SMEs Be Worried About the Demise of HMV?

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“Should SMEs Be Worried About the Demise of HMV?” was written by Paul Mackenzie Ross and first appeared in the is4profit small business blog The news this weekend has been filled with stories about the demise of HMV. That’s not to say that the store, founded in 1921, will totally disappear, but it has been … Read more

Computer Games and Small Business Strategy

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Computer games and small business strategy - still only level 6Are SMEs Being Encouraged to Level Up too Quickly?

I’ll admit it; I’m not particularly good at computer games. When I played Halo on the original Xbox against one of my younger brothers I got shot. Lots. On the Nintendo Wii versus my junior-school daughter, her wrist-flicks fired off aces without a single “proper” serve. That’s just not tennis. As for driving games, I’m used to wrestling with a wheel & stamping on pedals, and the last time I remember fighting in a Judo match, I don’t recall manically pressing a convoluted button combination to throw my opponent.

But strategy games, ah… that’s another matter. And what does this all have to do with small business, I hear you say?

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A SMART Business is a SMARTER Business

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“A SMART Business is a SMARTER Business” was first published in the business advice section of www.is4profit.com When looking for ways to improve your business one method of working is by using SMART objectives. First coined in a 1981 edition of Management Review, S.M.A.R.T. is an acronym/mnemonic for: S – Specific M – Measurable A – … Read more

The Business Benefits of Marginal Gains

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“The Business Benefits of Marginal Gains”, written by Paul Mackenzie Ross, first appeared in the small business blog section of www.is4profit.com

The Business Benefits of margin gains - one percent

My Managing Director and I were discussing the subject of business performance and commercial efficiency the other day when he mentioned the recent story of the British Olympic Cycling team boss, Dave Brailsford.

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The Rise of Localism?

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Coffee cups and the rise of localismA couple of days ago I read an interesting piece over on the BBC News website about Totnes in Devon; the town is soon to be home to a new branch of the national chain Costa Coffee.

Now Costa Coffee is a brand that is well known in the UK with some 1,375 shops in this country, and some 800 stores abroad; so what’s so special about it that this proposed coffee shop in a southwest town makes the headlines over at the BBC?

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