by John Olivant | Jul 2, 2025 | Business Planning, Innovation
Introduction: Why Small Business Owners Think Innovation Isn’t for Them. When I sit down with small business owners — especially those in mature, well-established markets — I often hear the same line: “Innovation? That’s for big companies or tech startups. I just...
by John Olivant | Jun 24, 2025 | Business Planning
Hope Is Not a Strategy: How to Stop Guessing and Start Forecasting Like a Pro. Discover how top-performing businesses remove bias from planning. Introduction: Why We Get Forecasting So Wrong (And How to Fix It) If you’ve ever written a business plan, you’ve probably...
by John Olivant | Jun 23, 2025 | Business Planning
The Cost of Acting Too Soon: Why Planning Beats Panic Every Time. What do HS2, California Rail, and your business have in common—and how do you fix it? Think Slow, Act Fast — The Antidote to Action Bias. One of the most important lessons I’ve learned in business is...
by John Olivant | Jun 16, 2025 | Business Planning
From Chaos to Clarity: The Real Reason Your Business Is Stuck. When I first started out in business, I was chasing a dream that looked great from the outside — freedom, flexibility, control over my time, and the idea that I’d finally be paid what I was worth. Like...
by John Olivant | Jun 5, 2025 | Business Planning
Introduction: Why Negotiation Strategy Should Shape Your Growth Plan One of the biggest shifts I made as a business owner was learning to see negotiation not as a skill, but as a strategy. Most people treat negotiation like something you pull out when it’s time to...
by John Olivant | May 30, 2025 | Business Planning
Introduction: The Hidden Danger in Every Business Plan. Over the years, I’ve seen countless business plans — some impressive, some naïve, but nearly all with one thing in common: hidden business planning assumptions. We all make them. I’ve made them too. We assume...