Tag Archives: Advice

Do you even know what your brand is?I don’t mean your logo, if you have one.Nor do I mean what your business is called,or how whizzy your website looks.Your brand is what people say about youwhen you’re not in the room.And ultimately, it’s about how people feel about you.  This is so important in theContinue reading “FAQ – Are you confident in your brand?”

Big questions start with small words Journalists and documentary makers are taught to ask the ‘who, what, where, when, why, how’ questions. Applying those words to what we do is a great way to reflect on our lives and businesses as the year ends and another starts. We can ask questions about what we’ve doneContinue reading “FAQ – It’s all about the ‘who’”

When we do things with a clear purpose, we’ll not only do them better, but we’ll also get a lot more satisfaction from doing them. And the more that purpose aligns with making a difference to people’s lives, including our own, the better. But how can we really make a difference in our work, and inContinue reading “FAQ – Making a difference”

Being a painter and decorator is more than a trade, it’s a particular set of skills, a business, and often a way of life. But like any hands-on profession, it’s easy to get stuck in a routine. When you’re juggling client jobs, quotes, paperwork and trying to stay up to date with everything, it canContinue reading “FAQ – Finding inspiration”

Spring is often the busiest time for painters and decorators. People are doing their spring cleans, and it’s reminding them how shabby some parts of their properties are. They look at their exteriors and think they could use some maintenance. There’s the saying, ‘make hay while the sun shines,’ and while spring and summer areContinue reading “FAQ – Work / life balance”

I love working backwards. I think it’s the way forward… For at least a decade I’ve been working backwards. It came about because of a conversation with my wife, who teaches dressmaking and pattern cutting. She said to me, “The important thing isn’t what you teach, it’s about what your students learn. If they’re struggling,Continue reading “FAQ – Working backwards”

Autumn is here, it’s the start of the new academic year – kids are off to school, college and uni. Many people (except teachers) have a bit more time, a bit more headspace. It’s a great time to think about the future, about what needs changing, about learning new stuff, about what needs focusing onContinue reading “FAQ – Turning over a new leaf”

Most of us want to pass on a healthy planet to the next generation. With climate change, rivers and seas too polluted to swim in, air pollution, species in decline… it can seem rather depressing.But there’s a lot we can do to be more sustainable decorators, and it’s good for business too. When it comesContinue reading “FAQ – Decorating for the planet”

I don’t know anyone who gets it totally right when it comes to spending their time how they’d like to. But I’ve learned quite a few useful things over the years… As we come up to the Christmas break and start considering the next year, it’s a great opportunity to think about our greatest assetContinue reading “FAQ – Time well spent”