• Seek the advice of a business mentor.
• Form strategic alliances with other companies/ people.
• Do a strategic review of your business to include SWOT analysis and develop a strategy to drive your company forward and so grow and develop.
• Utilise the internet to its potential
• Engage the services talented people. Lots of very high quality services can be accessed a reasonable rates these days
• Seek publicity and raise the profile of your business.
• Spend more on marketing.
• Implement management accounting and performance measurement systems based on the key metrics that determine business success.
• Investigate the possibility of getting grant aid e.g. Enterprise Ireland, Enterprise boards, EC, IDA, FAS etc.
• Seek advice on how to reduce taxes.
• Engage in lifelong learning and constantly look for business opportunities.
• Share knowledge with other business people and learn from each other.
• Adopt a positive mental attitude.
• Results based bonus systems for employees e.g. bonuses for additional sales, cost cutting measures etc.
• Redouble your efforts and improve you and your staff’s motivation
• Look at how other successful companies do business and adopt their philosophies and techniques.
• Improved budgeting and financial management.
• Consider exporting.
• Use productivity improvement techniques, time study, process mapping, plant layout studies, lean manufacturing, brainstorming, etc.
• Seek business investors to invest in your business.



• Negotiate improved prices with existing suppliers.
• Get prices from alternative suppliers.
• Consider getting work done abroad. e.g. software design in India, China etc.
• Import materials from abroad • Set up alliances with other companies to bulk buy services and products e.g. 10 companies getting a price for insurance.
• Sharing office space with other companies.
• Renting out some office space
• Outsourcing some services e.g. bookkeeping, reception, payroll, transport delivery, sales etc.
• Save electricity turn off the lights at night, heating etc.
• End of year tax returns done on time to save surcharges and penalties.
• Get your v.a.t returns done on time.
• Get your c.r.o. returns done on time as late returns can be very expensive.



• Collect money sooner
• Negotiate improved credit terms with suppliers
• Reduce Stocks
• Increase Sales prices
• Reduce costs
• Sale and leaseback of fixed assets
• Lease instead of buy
• Downsize the business
• Enter more profitable markets Tips to improve sales
• Improve quality
• Improve services
• Sell at lower cost than competitors
• Enter new markets.
• Introduce new products
• Put greater effort into sales.
• Advertise on the internet
• Make sure website is well designed and is search optimised
• Consider google pay per click to drive your website to the top of the list.
• Have facility to sell over the web.

Based on the results of the above devise a strategic plan and a set of action items and give individuals, teams specific projects to work on.