A long email arrived over the weekend detailing the problem of building consensus about tasks and procedures in a small business employing 11 people. This problem may be more widespread than one thinks, and it has to be said it is a management problem.

This business owner was really concerned about the “destructive” effect of not building consensus in his organisation. The question I asked him in an email was “Why do you want to build consensus so desperately?” His answer was to make things happen more smoothly in his business and with less stress.

The truth is there is no need for consensus on each issue, what is really important is that things get done and someone has to make a decision how and when they get done - to put it bluntly - consensus is a nice thing to have, but not necessary. A company is not a democracy, so decisions are made from the top down.

This may sound harsh, but it is the only way to operate. I will listen to anyone in my team if we discuss issues, that is important, to get anyone heard and involved in the process, whatever that may be. I would be lying, if I would tell you I had not learned a lot this way, and that I have not changed my mind more than once due to good advice I received from my members of my team. At the end of the day though I make the decisions - the bug stops with me - or in this case you.

My team and I have an understanding, I will listen to all their concerns and suggestions, and my team accepts that in the end it is my decisions.

Running a company, however small or big, is about leadership, not consensus. ST.

Disclaimer: As with any of my readers questions, I do not have all the answers and here on my blog I can only give you some ideas, since I know very little about your small business. If any of you can add anything here do so for the benefit of my reader, who asked the question and everybody else, leave a comment below - I’d be most grateful.

When you have internal meetings try to keep them short. I often see meeting in small organisations that linger on and on, often even about non - business issues. Large corporations have often the shortest meetings at director level, while lower down in the organisation the meetings go on and on, too. Don’t waste your valuable 9 to 5 business time like that.

Look at you calendar and write next to each meeting how long it should take and stick too it.

While it is important to socialize, you have to make sure your tasks get done on time, so calling a meeting for ten minutes to just discuss the issue at hand will instill a sense of urgency and focus into the participants of the meeting. If you allow the meeting to drag on, by the time it’s over nobody remembers what the meeting was about.

Let me say it with the words of the British chairman of Josiah Wedgwood & Sons Ltd. Arthur Bryan, who had this advice for any small business:

The key is not to spend time, but using it.

Remember this is a rule for internal meetings, for meetings with customers this rule does not apply - within reason of cause. The customer should determine the length of the meeting. Suppliers will probably thank you for short meetings, so they too can get more done.

Meet with coworkers after work for bowling or golf, that will build your team spirit and give your team the social time needed. ST.

When ever I meet new business people I’m curious to find out what they are doing, what is their business all about, so I ask. But too often I walk away and I’m still wondering what it is my new contact does, that is not good.

So here is something I think you should do, get a piece of paper - or even better use my comment form below - and create a little 10 - 15 second marketing and PR speech for your small business products and service. Here is what I tell people who ask - and some who don’t ask actually:

WinWeb provides an on-demand online small business infrastructure, including an OnlineOffice and LiveNet, a social networking community and online marketplace for small business and business startups in the US, Europe and Australia.

Every meeting is a opportunity for you and your business, so don not let it pass. Rehearse you speech until you can say it in your dreams, it will also help you to focus on your core business better. Your new contact can then work out if there is anything interesting for him/her in your portfolio. They may also remember you in month and years from now - so 10 to 15 seconds well spent.

So what do you tell others about your business, your products and services? Tell us about it, in a comment. ST.

I was kindly invited by 3 Network & Skype to attend the launch of the new 3 Skypephone in London today.

The 3 Network and Skype have created a mobile phone handset with Skype button, so the user can make free Skype calls into the internet to any Skype user world-wide. To be precise, you can talk for 4000 minutes per month and send 10,000 chat messages per month free of charge, there is also no data charge for these Skype calls, which in my opinion is the real interesting part in this deal - more on that later. You just need to pay for your regular mobile phone calls, by contract or Pay as You Go.

For Skype, which is owned by eBay, this is a good deal as it allows Skype users to stay connected to Skype while on the move with one device, the new 3 Skypephone. As acting Skype CEO Michael van Swaaij said, “people will no longer “phone” each other, they will “Skype” each other over the 3 Network!”

Noteworthy here is that no SkypeIn and SkypeOut is currently available on the 3 Skypephone. SkypeIn will be available sometime in the future, whenever that will be? It was not quite clear why it is not available now. SkypeOut will not be available anytime soon.

Things got a little heated when Mr. van Swaaij, was asked about possible future outages, he said “This was not really an issue since the last outage was only 24 hours in four years and the service was free and not a replacement for a normal telephone!” This opinion was repeated by other Skype team members in later conversations. Personally I find this attitude disturbing and factually wrong, as the outage was around 48 hours.

For me the real news is that the 3 Network, owned by Hutchison Whampoa Limited, is leveraging their network in a new way, to attract subscriptions. 4,000 minutes and 10,000 chat messages free Skype traffic is a real commitment to their new open internet strategy, as CEO Kevin Russell put it. While the service is currently only available in the UK, Australia, Italy and Denmark, I would hope this brave move will reward the 3 Network with the deserved success. Even more interesting deals may be possible to make the 3 brand even more attractive, like delivering Web 2.0 applications over the mobile network at fixed prices or even for free.

It will be interesting to see, what the T-Mobiles, Vodafones, O2s of this world will make of this offer? The 3 Network will hope that they will not react soon, to give them more time to get a bigger market share, but time will tell.

I believe the appeal for endusers - especially the facebook generation - will be huge, free calls to friends and family via Skype has got to be a winner.
But more importantly for me - with my focus on small business and Skype’s apparent customer support issues - the 3 Skypephone has some growing up to do before I will consider it a small business tool.

While I personally may have a Skype dilemma, one thing is clear, today the mobile phone ball game has changed forever. ST.

Update Oct 31, 2007: See comments by other bloggers I met during the event and get their take on the phone:

• Gadget Venue.com
• BlogNation
• Tamebay
• dalelane
• 3MobileBuzz

How often do we sit in front of our TVs or computers and see people in need, or the environment in trouble, and many more distressing things. Every-time, I wish I could change it all, the truth is I can’t - but we all can help.

The type of help I’m referring to here will not make the headlines, will not get you noticed by everybody, but it will help. I’m talking about pro-bono work, or sponsoring an organisation with a service or product you offer. I believe it can be better resources or money spend, than doing google ads, it is a good bootstrapping technique - and a win-win situation for you and the sponsored organisation.

For example, the College StartUp blog has an article today about “5 ways to get “paid” for pro bono work“, they talk about the marketing benefits you may gain by doing good. Every small business or start-up business, like SOHO-, SME, SMB-, Micro-, Lifestyle-, Home-, DIY-, Hobby-, Boomer- or Personal business, like professional, contractors, freelancer, self-employed, sole-trader and virtual assistants has something to give, which could make a difference.

You may not be able to change the world, but if we all did our bit, we could make a hell of a difference. ST.

Anja Merret is hosting the “Blog Carnival of Observations on Life” and it seems to me some of the articles in there are really good, so go and have a look and see what takes your fancy.

The Next 45 Years blog is hosting the “Personal Development & Happiness Carnival“, and talks about how to grow your “Relationship Bank Account“, which makes for great reading and many other very interesting entries.

Don’t bother clicking on my entry, if you have been reading my blog, you will not have missed this entry. ST.

Good question! When you read many small business publications and online resources, most people talk about growing your business. Sometimes it sound like it is important to grow your business, along the lines of if your business does not grow, it is going backward.

To tell you the truth most people talk about growing their business to attract funding - VC money, loans - believing that this money will help them to grow and this way solve their business problems. Surprise, surprise - that never works and never will, it amuses me no end when I hear some people ranting about VCs, when they not even have a business.

If you achieve your business objectives, whatever they are, why would you want to grow your business? There is no problem in remaining small and as you are, don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Work on your work-life balance and enjoy your success.

As Michael Bloomberg - a U.S. entrepreneur and Mayor of New York - once said:

Is your company small you have to do everything yourself? Wait until you’re so big that you can’t. That’s worse.

Could not have said it better myself - there is your answer. ST.

Disclaimer: As with any of my readers questions, I do not have all the answers and here on my blog I can only give you some ideas, since I know very little about your small business. If any of you can add anything here do so for the benefit of my reader, who asked the question and everybody else, leave a comment below - I’d be most grateful.

This question was emailed the other day, and I must say, in my mind this is only half the question - but first things first. Sooner or later you will think about doing a little more business, protecting yourself more, and that will bring you to the question of changing business and trading environment All small business, micro business, sole traders, freelancers and home businesses can be run in the form of limited liability companies.

A limited liability company - LLC in the US, Ltd. in the UK - is a legal entity, like a different person, so you, the business owner is not direct liable for any debt. The company is to be conducted by laws governing limited liability companies, and providing you do, your company has “limited” liability.

The protection a limited company offers is that when the business fails, and you have to close it down, the company is only liable with it’s assets, i.e any positive bank balance, inventory and other assets.

What does a limited company not protect you from? That is the second part of the question you need to know about.

Answer: Any loans or other arrangements you have made, and signed a personal guarantee for, i.e. a bank loan, or over-draft.

Which brings me back to my favorite topics of planning, credit-control and bootstrapping. If you do not sign any personal guarantees for your limited company, you personally can be shielded from any fall-out in the business - apart from loosing the business of cause.

Think twice before signing a personal guarantee and losing your limited liability. ST.

Disclaimer: As with any of my readers questions, I do not have all the answers and here on my blog I can only give you some ideas, since I know very little about your small business. If any of you can add anything here do so for the benefit of my reader, who asked the question and everybody else, leave a comment below - I’d be most grateful.

As you may remember I was part of the Blog Action Day for our Environment and I keep on finding great little posts about eco-friendly issues relating to small business, including home business - my personal favorite.

Tony Clark writes a blog about working from home from his home-nest called “Success from the Nest” and has tips how to save energy in your home based business:

“As a home-base entrepreneur, you have the unique opportunity to have a small impact on the environment, all while having a big impact on the world.

Just another good reason to give it a go…”

I think he is right, and remember all the green/eco-friendly benefits of working online for the environment and also for yourself. ST.

It’s monday morning, isn’t it great to be back at work, you have been waiting for this moment all weekend long, or have you? Does your work-life balance “s***”?

Well here is a great article I think you should read, and don’t forget the comments to this post on the The Digerati Life blog:

“I thought I’d try retiring at 50, but I’m now actually aiming to do it in my forties…… So my spouse and I have come to this solid goal: that I’d be quitting my job within the year. I’ve been wavering on this thought on and off for the last few months but now, I’m psychologically ready to pull the plug off my corporate career. These decisions have caught me by surprise as I never thought I’d be thinking about this way so soon. Not a couple of years ago I was happy with work status quo, enjoying what I was doing and building my 401K. I was happy enough that I didn’t want things to change, satisfied as I was with how my job and boss were treating me.”

You will find a checklist attached to the article, so you can check if you are ready to let go, improve your work-life balance, and have a more full-filling life.

This is just what you need to read monday morning when you are in a dead end job - don’t you love my blog? Have a nice day. ST.