How often do you rely on discounting or price promotions to win new clients, and is it actually helping you build a sustainable business long-term? Procter & Gamble (P&G) recently took a very firm stance on this. Despite a sharp rise in promotional discounting across Europe, they are refusing to play that game. Instead, they’re doubling down on winning through product superiority, innovation, and strategic communications. Their CFO, Andre Schulten, put it bluntly: “We don’t believe that promotion, in any way, shape or form, is a way to build the business or to acquire users on a sustainable basis.” This got me thinking about how we approach this in our own businesses: - If you agree with P&G: How are you currently communicating your unique value clearly enough to your target market so you don't have to compete on price? - If you disagree: Why? What kinds of discounting or promotional strategies have actually worked for your business long-term? Curious to hear where everyone lands on this!

I caught this podcast that @Mike Greene completed earlier this year, and I must say it was a great listening finishing up my day today. The biggest takeaway I got was having the DRIVE, to get to where Mike had set a goal to achieve, instead of a need to do something. This could be from working more to get the takeaway at the end of the week in the early days, right the way to present days goals which are very different! I loved the raw honesty and definitely worth the time, as so many nuggets, ending up with speaking about Mike’s goals now self made and not having the financial pressures, which is where I want to get to, in my rebuild of business & life! Thanks Mike for being so open, and happy to share this with the Board Community as this may help others as it did me 🙏 Catch this link of pure gold! https://share.google/PPDXJ7oawfKMk4icJ

How high on your priority list is your core brand proposition when you’re managing the daily demands of running a business? Sainsbury’s recently agreed to sell Argos to Swift Partners for at least £120m. From a strategic communications perspective, one of the most interesting aspects of the deal is the new owners’ commitment to making Argos their “first, second and third” priority. Richard Pennycook of Swift Partners explained: “As an independent company, we will think of Argos as the first, second and third thing we think of in the morning. And when Argos sits in a very large and successful supermarket business, the colleagues at the top of the organisation are not necessarily thinking in that way.” Within a supermarket group, Argos inevitably had to compete with the grocery business for leadership attention and investment. As an independent company, its positioning, customer proposition and growth can take centre stage. The immediate focus does not appear to be a radical reinvention. Instead, the opportunity lies in sharpening what Argos stands for, driving organic growth and balancing a well-known heritage with modern relevance. It illustrates a challenge many businesses face: when the brand proposition is not given sustained attention, messaging can gradually become diluted. The business becomes absorbed in operational demands while its distinction in the market becomes less clear. So, how do you keep your positioning front and centre when operational pressures take over? And if brand strategy has taken a back seat in your business, has that weakened your market message, or is an operations-led approach right for your model? I’d be interested to hear how others balance brand strategy with the demands of running a business.

I was fortunate to join Mike on the monthly call last night, and it is fair to say this was possibly one of the best hours I have spent, as it ended up being 1-on-1. Thank you @Mike Greene for your vision and support, as this was invaluable, including the session notes I have just run through, much appreciated! Being part of the Growth Syndicate for the past 12 months has seen more business and personal development, to a position where I have launched the business, whilst continuing in significant rehabilitation, and bringing my motivation for life back again! Having "The Board" as a support for my business is awesome, and as can be seen below, this is not always just about business; this was at a Chamber of Commerce Dinner, where, during this year, through networking, two of the greatest opportunities for my business have arisen! Please share your greatest wins since joining the Growth Syndicate, now "The Board" as I would love to see, since joining this community, what it means to you as well!

Which matters more when it comes to building a successful business? Through my Success Is A System podcast, and decades of global business and networking I’ve met extraordinary people at both ends of the spectrum. Some have several degrees, remarkable academic intelligence and world-class expertise in their chosen fields. I’ve also interviewed people who received very little, if any formal education, including Gypsy billionaire Alfie Best, who was taken out of school before exams age, and whose wealth has been reported at $1.2 billion, and centi-millionaire entrepreneurs such as Charlie Mullins, Kevin Byrne and Neville Wright. Education can provide knowledge, discipline and an invaluable foundation. But I sometimes wonder whether it can also become a restriction: - ...teaching people to seek the correct answer, follow an established path and avoid failure, - ...when entrepreneurship frequently demands the opposite. I say that as someone awarded an honorary doctorate in education, but also as someone brought up in poverty, who went bankrupt and subsequently built a business operating across 20 countries. I’ve experienced the value of both. Academia can teach you what is known. Street smarts can teach you what to do when none of the accepted answers work. The strongest entrepreneurs probably combine the two, but if you had to weight them, which matters more? Vote below, and tell me why in the comments. What matters most when building a successful business?